# 2 — Chapter 12
Turbulence wakes me from my nap. I look out the window to see the night sky. Hours must have passed. I stretch out my limbs in front of me and look up at Carmelo. He is wide awake with a world of worries on his mind.
I gently place my hand on his knee and ask, “What’s bothering you?”
“Your father is going to kill me for getting on this flight,” he shakes his head, “Or he’ll have your brother do it as soon as I land.”
“You saved me. My father will be grateful for that. Antonio won’t let him kill you-I won’t let him kill you.”
“I’m afraid I did it for selfish reasons.”
“What do you mean?”
“Ms. Moretti, would you like something to drink?” The stewardess asks.
“Red wine would be nice,” I give her a small smile. “How long until we arrive?”
“About five hours,” she looks over at Carmelo and continues, “We got in contact with Mr. Moretti, he knows you’re on the flight and is just glad Ms. Moretti is safe. He wants you back to Chicago by tomorrow.”
Carmelo gives a curt nod which excuses the stewardess who doesn’t bothering us again after bringing me a glass of red wine and leaving the bottle.
“Can’t you stay?” I ask in a timid voice.
“You heard her, my orders are to get back to Chicago as soon as possible. I have a lead on Samuel and the rest of Marco’s loyalist.”
“What kind of lead?”
“There’s a rat in the compound. Someone knew you were leaving for Italy today. Our systems were hacked, I found the virus and knew what type of information was taken out. Phone calls were being tapped too, specifically one between you and your mother. As soon as I found out I parked outside Rocco’s apartment building and trailed your car.”
“The driver, he’s dead. Isn’t he?”
Carmelo nods. “Yes. He knew the job; the job was getting you to the airport safely.”
“Yet one would think that’s your job,” I snicker.
The side of his mouth tugs up into a half smile. “And I did my job damn well, didn’t I?”
“Thanks again.”
He shrugs. “That’s what bodyguard’s are for.”
I didn’t correct him on the fact that he is no longer my bodyguard and hasn’t been for the past few days.
“Have you ever been to Italy?” I change the conversation.
“No,” he says simply.
“Ever wanted to?”Text © 2024 NôvelDrama.Org.
He pauses for a moment. “I never pictured myself going there, no. My father spent all his money on prostitutes and casinos when we were kids, so we couldn’t exactly afford a vacation. I don’t have any reason to go for my job and retirement has never been a thought that crossed my mind.”
“Why’s that?” I ask and he raises his eyebrow, “The retirement thing?”
“Figured I’d be dead before I’d ever have the chance to retire.”
My heart feels heavy with the thought of Carmelo getting killed on the job. There are many times he’s had to save Liliana and myself from enemies of the mob. So many times he could’ve died protecting us. Protecting me.
“What about you?”
“Hmm?” I hum.
“Have you ever been to Italy?”
“Oh yeah. A handful of times. My grandfather has lived there his whole life. You probably know he’s the Don of the crime syndicate in Sicily. We’ve visited him on occasion. My parents were born here too, so along with visiting family, they wanted us to learn about the culture. Not to mention my siblings and I have known the language since birth.”
While my mother spoke to us in English, my father used to speak to us strictly in Italian to help us develop the language as young infants. The language has always come naturally to us because we’ve heard it since we were out of the womb. Papa made sure it was that way. He wanted us to get in touch with our Italian roots. Uncle Lorenzo was the same way with Antonio and Rocco. They always said we’d be ignorant not to learn the language.
I guess being fluent in Italian will come in handy now.
Carmelo nods his head and our conversation seems to end there. I want to continue to talk to him. He makes me feel calm despite my fear of airplanes. Something is still bothering him as he stares out the window looking broody and miserable.
“Do you want some wine to relax?” I offer him my glass.
“No, thank you.”
The plane is everything you’d want when traveling. Luxury, comfort, and no one to bother you. Those are the perks of a private plane. The crew have all left us to our privacy and don’t come to bother unless we press the button above that calls them.
If it were just me on this plane I would currently be lonely and probably reading some romance book downloaded on my kindle. Even though Carmelo isn’t talking much, his company is still appreciated in the moment.
The sudden drop and turbulence sends me into panic mode as I dig my nails into Carmelo’s knee and hold on for dear life. Even when the craziness of the plane stops, my breathing doesn’t regulate and I have the urgency to get off the plane. This thing is a death trap and I don’t want to die in some tragic plane crash.
“It’s okay,” Carmelo cups both my cheeks with his large hands. He forces me to look into his amber eyes filled with concern and something else I can’t put my finger on. “It was nothing. We’re alright. You’re alright,” he soothes as the pads of his thumb run across my cheekbones.
“I don’t want to be on this flight,” I gasp in air, “I want to get off. Please, I want to get off!”
“We’re in the middle of the ocean right now. Remember what I said,” he pauses and I shake my head quickly, “I said I will protect you and I won’t let anything happen to you. You are safe when you are with me.”
“And what happens when you leave me?” I swallow hard.
His gaze flickers between both my eyes and his forehead begins to wrinkle. He doesn’t know what to say and that is what scares me the most.
“Make me forget,” I beg and grab a fistful of his shirt, pulling him closer toward me. “Please make me forget everything.”
I lean up to kiss him. Our lips harshly fighting for dominance and eventually I surrender and he swallows me whole. I can feel my lips are now swollen, but I don’t care. We press hard against each other and act with a primal need to just be close.
It’s always been like this with each other. He’s a good lay and I’m a good convenient lay for him too. But the one thing that makes this so addicting is that when we are together we forget everything completely. I can’t remember my name when I’m with him, I can’t remember my troubles or my past. The only thing I can think about is the moment and the ecstasy and nirvana that follows.
He makes me forget everything I hate about the world.
Carmelo grabs me by the waist and hoists me up until I am straddling him in his seat. I grind my pelvis against the hardness forming in his pants. I know then that this will be a quick branding, no foreplay, no talking, just us and our union.
We don’t break contact with our lips as he unbuckles his belt and fumbles with his fly. I’m tempted to rip my leggings open but I don’t think my brother would appreciate me landing with a big hole in the crotch of my pants.
I force my leggings down my thighs and off one of my ankles. We don’t even bother with my thong as Carmelo pushes the underwear to the side and moves his hips up in one forceful thrust to be inside of me. I bite his shoulder to suppress the loud moan at the back of my throat.
In such a short amount of time, I am so ready for him as he glides easily in and out creating the most delicious friction my body has ever experienced. His arms snake around my body and he grabs tightly at my ass. His guides me the way he wants, slow and hard at first. We stare into each other’s eyes. His minty breath fanning my face as my nails dig into his biceps.
I hold on for dear life as his hips piston in and out of me. I grind down to meet his movements, bouncing to the finish line that is just in sight. I chase my orgasm with hesitation as I never want this to end. I have no clue where we are, where we’re going and why I was so upset in the first place.
Carmelo must feel my anxiety build as he slows down and really makes me feel every inch of him filling me full. I roll my hips and throw my head back relishing in the feel as I dangle off the peak of eternal bliss. His hands go under my shirts and his calloused thumbs flick across my nipples creating more unbearable pleasure.
I wrap my arms around his neck and he peppers kisses on my skin. He thrusts fast and deep until he spills inside of me, and I follow with my own earth shattering release that milks him for every last drop.
Realization hits that we didn’t use a condom. This was our first time going bareback and surely he’ll ask if I’m on birth control. I’m not, but I’ll tell him I am. My infertility will, once again, prevent any baby from forming, but I don’t need Carmelo to know that. I don’t want him to look at me any differently or think of me as less of woman because I can’t reproduce.
He grabs some napkins to clean us up before I pull my leggings back up my body, and he tucks himself back into his pants. The only sound is the sound of us breathing heavy, our chests both rising and falling fast. My mind is still in a daze recovering from being shattered with euphoria.
Before I can overthink the current situation, my post-orgasm delight sends both Carmelo and I into a much needed deep sleep.