~~~~~

I was far too headstrong to want to keep up appearances around Nicolo, but in front of others, I tried to maintain an effective ‘Perfect Donna’ ruse, even breaking out of my usual character to show affection as necessary in front of the families. Since it was my grandfather’s last wish as Don, I could force happy, but I wasn’t. Not when every single glance Nicolo sent my way had shivers crawling down my spine.

“Marcello, the next orders are to take these contracts over to the DeVille household. Make sure the Don knows what his son’s been up to and what we normally order by the Omertá as the Don’s Shield.” I stated, glancing away from Nicolo to Marcello, who stood in front of my desk. “The DeVille son will only get one free pass, should that be what his father asks for, since this is only his first infraction. If he messes up again, we will handle it.”

Marcello rolled his eyes before nodding with a salute, then disappeared out of the office. He was still angry after Nicolo’s last interaction with him, since the Don could act wildly with me. As my second, Marcello’s entire life was dedicated to keeping me safe, so Nico acting so flamboyant with my safety was likely getting on his nerves. Not that I minded. Being with Nicolo granted me a freedom I hadn’t experienced before.

Maybe he wasn’t the only one taking advantage of our situation. It was refreshing to stand in the light a little. Maybe the thrill of danger set my blood to racing, and I needed to be just this close to keep my adrenaline high. I chewed on my cheek to avoid looking at him, my eyes falling to the tablet in my hands. There was still plenty of work to be done, and my moving into his office hadn’t helped my focus.

Of course, I couldn’t help what he insisted on since he wanted us to get to know each other better. Working together hadn’t been on my itinerary, but it was a welcome change from the Donna experience I thought I would have. When I thought I would only be the Boss of the Accardi, I imagined less field work, more background. It was only because of this marriage I would even be close to the light.

“Tesoro.” The deep tenor of my husband drew my gaze up from my cellphone to a disgruntled Nico, arms crossed in annoyance. “Why do you never treat me as kindly as you do your Caproregime?”

I could detect notes of jealousy in his voice, making my shoulders square in annoyance. Did he think he could control me? I warned him before not to get in the way of my work, did I really need to clarify that so soon? My hands fisted as I stood, then I leaned forward over the desk to glare at him, back stiff. As much as I wanted us to appear the perfect couple, I could not back down when it came to my work.

“Not that I am trying to interfere with your work, just that I wish you were nicer to me when we were alone.” He continued, making the tension flee my muscles in an instant. “Oh, though I suppose you should also be as comfortable around me as you feel ready to. We don’t know each other that well.”

It didn’t involve work. There were two sides to Nicolo that I was learning about; the husband, and the Don. As flamboyant as he seemed about many things, he understood a lot about me. The need for protection, secrecy, and information were top three on his list too. He wasn’t asking me to treat him nicely as Don of his Family; like it were a business transaction. No, Nico wanted me to treat him nicely as his wife, and this was how he was letting me know.

“You have to forgive me, Amore Mio. It is still too early for me to trust you completely.” I sat back down in my chair, eyelids falling shut in thought. “But I am trying. It is also difficult to turn off the working part of my brain. Accardi are naturally in the shadows. We must hide our identities.”

Perhaps such an idea didn’t seem all that serious to him because of his position closer to civilians, but to the Accardi, exposing ourselves equaled death. As much as we helped most of the governments across the world, they would love to claim our public demise despite it potentially causing the downfall of the world as everyone knew it. Though I could tell he didn’t fully grasp the severity of our marriage, I had to keep it in mind. Being this close to the light was a thrill.

“If the Accardi family fail in their task, the one assigned to us by our ancestors, the world as you know it will cease to exist.” I finally opened my eyes to look straight into his, fingers clasping together under my chest. “The role we play is much deeper than you know, but you’ll see it soon enough.”

I wasn’t trying to speak in riddles, but I could tell I confused him. It wasn’t time to explain, as there were far more important things we needed to discuss. We had to keep ahead of those who would harm us, and I needed to search for that independent country my grandfather talked about, too. I chewed on my cheek as I thought about the implications of that, not wanting to actually face the truth. Maybe I didn’t want to know what happened to them.

“I am trying to be understanding of that, Little Dove.” Nico leaned forward over the desk, putting his hand on the center of the brown wood, tone husky. “But that and this are two separate things. Shall I show you how to unwind again? You are often much softer after I make love to you.”

The thought had my thighs clenching, but I wanted to shrug off the reaction, until our eyes locked. I loved his attention and the heat he brought my skin, yet hated how fast he could make it happen. With those two feelings at war within, I didn’t notice how close he was until his fingertips hooked under my jaw. The transference of heat made my skin flush, and the burning desire in his gaze had me breathless.

“C’è la mia donna.” I wondered if I would ever grow used to the pleasure his voice brought me. “Ti aiuterò a sbloccare I tuoi desideria.”

~~~~~

Would love be the cause of his demise? He knew what everyone thought, but couldn’t force himself to stop. His gaze fell to her perfect lips as his thumb stroked over her chin. Nicolo knew he needed to slow down and go at her pace, but he kept wanting to push her for more. What could he say, the woman made him want things he never desired before. She pulled away, brown pools narrowing up to look into his eyes, locking him in place.

His thoughts from before rang true; Lili was a very dangerous woman. She could poison him, and he wouldn’t even be mad, though he hoped she wouldn’t. Especially since he never imagined growing tired of her. He wanted her by his side until the end of time. It didn’t matter that Liliana, the Mafia Heiress to the Accardi family, didn’t believe in love. The woman outside of her title would learn.

“Ti insegnerò ad amare.” Nicolo whispered, leaning closer to place a chaste kiss upon her lips.

“I know how to love. It’s not whatever you do to me.” Her voice dropped a little and filled with a familiar huskiness that had his pants growing tighter. “You make me far too out of control.”

“That is love, Amore Mio.” He countered, licking the flavor of her from his mouth. “If you keep showing this side of you, I will become addicted.”

He knew that didn’t clarify things, but he enjoyed the look of confusion on her face. There was nothing quite like her breathless, parted lips, her flushed cheeks, or the way she nervously rubbed at her neck when she looked away. Maybe she didn’t understand it, but he would keep teasing her until she saw things his way. Long lashes covered her eyes before brown pools looked directly into him.

“You will get me in trouble, Nico.” Lili murmured, standing to get away from his hand. “This is only a marriage of convenience.”

~~~~~

As much as I wanted to believe those words, I knew the truth. Ever since I first heard someone mention I was in love with Nico, I’d been slacking in my duties. He was already under my skin enough; I didn’t need things to get worse. Though it seemed Nico had other plans, as I heard him round the desk, then the heat of his body pressed firmly against my spine. That hard line of muscle had my knees growing weak, but even as the thought to pull away occurred, I remained where I was.

“I will tell you until you believe me.” He whispered lowly in my ear, making gooseflesh rise along my skin. “I married you because I have feelings for you. Amore Mio, I love you. We are married. Is it illegal to enjoy each other?”

My hands planted firmly on the wall in front of me, and I held my breath to avoid his scent, but the firm length pressing into my back made me gasp. All it took was one whiff, that smokey, musky scent that always made my entire being tingle, and I would melt into him. His hands rose to hold my waist, making me glance over my shoulder at him. The heat between us felt beyond what I expected, and part of me craved more.

Was it illegal to enjoy this? I didn’t know, but I wanted to. After staring into his emerald gaze for what felt like forever, I turned to face him. My arms draped around his neck as I jumped to straddle him. Perhaps he didn’t expect it, as the surprise on his face was glorious, until he pressed me against the wooden wall, his length now pressing against my blue-jean covered core. Would I ever stop wanting him?

There were so many other things I needed to focus on, not this desire between us, yet I couldn’t help but be drawn into his pace again. A hot mouth pressed against my lips, then traced my jaw before dropping to my chest. The v-cut neck of my shirt only aided his teasing kisses, until the very moment my hair stood on end. Someone was coming, someone we did not know, and the solid mass of muscle gripping my body tensed. Could he sense it, too?