Bought by Her Italian Boss(31)

"What kind of man are you really?" she cried. "One who blames himself for his mother's death?"

He jerked a little in surprise, said, "No," but without conviction. Then  hitched a shoulder. "Perhaps. A little. Everyone, the aunts and uncles  who knew, always looked at me as if... I used to fight with Paolo. A  lot. But then my uncle told me about this and I knew I had to contain  this part of myself. Stamp it out as much as possible."

"And you have," she told him. "Are you likely to hit me, Vito?"

"No," he said, his contempt for men who would do such a thing thick in the word.

"What if I provoke you? What if I push you?" she asked, coming across to give him a light shove in the middle of his chest.

He caught her hands and easily twisted her arms behind her back, hauling  her close in such a swift move they both released a little, "Ha," as  their bodies lightly slammed together.

She tested his hold. "Now what are you going to do to me?" she said, but  softly. Knowingly. She was never frightened here, only eager with  anticipation.

"Kiss you," he answered. "Make love to you."

"Love me?" she suggested. Begged.

He lowered his head with a groan, capturing her mouth in a way that  instantly owned, but gave at the same time. Anointed. Worshipped. His  kiss was almost chaste in its sweetness, but so carnal they couldn't  help running their tongues together and opening to deepen the kiss until  they were both breathless.

Then he released her arms and tucked her head against his chest where his heart slammed, his strong arms enfolding her to him.

She stroked his sides, soothing the beast.

"I could never hurt you, Gwyn. I wanted to carve out my own heart when I  saw the way you looked at me that day you left Milan. The thought that  I'd left you feeling anything but confident in how very lovable you are  was intolerable. I do love you." He touched his lips to her ear. "I love  you in ways I didn't know it was possible to love, with my body, with  my breath. I ache with love for you every night and every day."

She closed her eyes, savoring the sting of joyous tears. Threading her  arms around him, she held on to him and the moment. The strength that  had sustained her and protected her and would be hers. Because she would  fight for this.

Him.

"Vito, how did the Donatellis keep you this side of the law?"

"I don't know," he muttered, digging his fingers into her hair, petting  her like he was comforting himself. "A million ways, I suppose.  Redirection, distraction, love."

"I love you," she drew back to say.

His hold on her flexed and he swallowed. "She loved him. He didn't change."

"Look what she was starting with," she said wryly. "What makes you think  a child of yours couldn't be molded the way you were? Especially if he  or she started out loved, the way you did?"

"Cara-" It was both protest and longing.

"It's not a deal breaker, I swear. I'm just saying you shouldn't write  off your genes as all bad. Either way, I'm yours. You're stuck with me,  understand?"

"Your brother is never going to- Screw it," he muttered, ducking  abruptly to scoop her legs out from under her and give her a toss,  catching her in the cradle of his arms, high against his chest. "We're  getting married. Maybe we will adopt, but I'm not having you walk around  without my ring. No one will call you anything but my wife."                       
       
           



       

"Was that a proposal? Because I missed the part where I was asked," she  said, but it was hard to sound tart when she was grinning and his neck  smelled good and she wanted to crawl inside his clothes. Under his skin.  "I missed you," she said against his Adam's apple, voice thready with  need.

"I'm half a man without you," he said as he strode into the bedroom and  placed her on his bed. "I'm only the worst parts of myself. Angry,  jealous, miserable." He yanked his shirt open as he pulled it from his  pants. "You understand what kind of possessive bastard you're consigning  yourself to, don't you?"

"I'd like to say it's my choice, but I don't think I've ever had one."  She lifted her hips to reach her zipper, then working her skirt down,  enjoying the way his chest swelled at the sight of her bared legs. He  hurried to finish undressing. "It has to be you or no one," she told  him.

"Are you still on the pill?" he asked.

She nodded while she released the belt that she'd worn over her shirt,  but she caught the little something that passed over his expression. It  was a brief hesitation, words that rose but were second-guessed. One  day, she knew from that tiny moment of betrayed thought, one day he  would be ready to think about children. It was okay that today wasn't  that day. She wanted him to herself for a little while, anyway.

He skimmed her undies away and settled his hot body over her, his hips  between her legs. One arm reached to help her finish pushing off her  top. "This is pretty," he said of her bra, tracing the edge of the  blue-green lace. "It can stay for now."

He leaned to kiss her, but she drew back, needing to know.

"Does it bother you that so many men have seen me naked?"

"That will always bother me, cara. Not just because I am a jealous  Neanderthal of a man, but because it hurt you so very badly. I would do  anything to make that go away for you."

She traced her fingertips along his temple, down the side of his face,  then cupped the side of his neck. "But we might not have found each  other if that hadn't happened. And you wouldn't be here at all if your  mother and father hadn't happened. Life is never going to be perfect and  tidy, you know. Bad things can happen. We can only do our best with  what we're given."

"Are you giving yourself to me?"

"I am," she said solemnly.

Excitement lit his eyes, but his kiss was tender. "Then I will do my  best with you. That is a promise, mia bella." He settled his hips low  and his hard, glorious length slid into her, slid home, making her groan  in welcome. This was where they both belonged.

"Ti amo tanto," he groaned. I love you so much.

And later, when they were debating whether to rise and go out to eat,  both completely lacking the will to move any more than a hand to caress a  collarbone or turn their lips into each other's skin, her ringtone  sounded from the other room.

Leaning off the bed for his pants, Vito pulled out his own phone and  dialed, saying a moment later, "She's not coming home tonight. We'll  come by your father's in the morning on the way to the jewelry store.  I'll ask for her hand like a proper suitor. Good enough?"

It must have been because he hung up after one grumbled word from a voice she recognized as Trav's.

"I told you he's annoying," she said.

Vito set aside his phone and gathered her beneath him, bracing himself  on his elbow above her, just looking at her in the half light of dusk  coming through the uncovered windows.

"I like it, tesoro. I'm a competitive man. I will enjoy treating you so well he is forced to eat his words again and again."

She burst out laughing, not asking where his edges and superiority  complex came from. At least he was using his naturally dominant nature  for good instead of evil.

"I do love you, you know," she told him, gazing into his eyes. "I love  you because you told me. You trust me. That means so much."

"I never imagined telling anyone." He frowned across the room, into the  middle distance. "It's not about protecting me anymore, but protecting  the bank. This could be a very big problem for the family."

"I'll never tell a soul, I promise."

"I know." His brows gave a little pull, like she was stating the  obvious. "I knew when I came here that even if you were repelled, the  secret would always be safe with you."

She petted his cheek, smoothing his rough stubble, chiding, "But I will  take every opportunity to point out things like the fact that you have a  crazy fierce capacity for loyalty. If your son or daughter had the  same, we'd have nothing to worry about."                       
       
           



       

His beautiful mouth pursed. "One of the first things I admired about you was that fighting spirit of yours."

"Really?" She tussled with him and he let her win, so she had him on his  back and she sat straddled over his thighs. But rather than crow with  triumph as she pinned his big hands to the mattress, she leaned down to  say against his lazy, satisfied grin, "You changed my world and I'm  going to change yours."