Diavolo (Devil’s Playground #1)

20. Chapter 20

20

Elyse's pulse raced. Resentment and rage still simmered within. Through it all, her mind flailed with indecision. Alessandro's words had detonated a searing intensity between them.

The choice is yours.

There was no time to give her answer, though. Alessandro was already stalking toward her. His hands found her waist. His gaze, hot and wanting, found hers with ease.

"My cheek still stings," he cooed, "you must kiss it. To make it better."

She muttered, "You deserved it."

He smiled wickedly. "Absolutely. Punish me more."

Her green eyes widened at first. Then, they narrowed. The bastard wanted his ass kicked, did he? Suddenly, anger merged with a need to fuck him into complete submission.

"Your clothes," she ordered, "I want them gone."

Alessandro didn't hesitate to meet her demand. In a blur, her new husband practically tore the tux from his body. His cock was already solid. No surprise there. His gaze dragged over her as though she was perfection. "Your turn."

"Be a gentleman and help me," growled Elyse. "This dress is fucking impossible to remove by myself."

Alessandro rushed over, unhooking, unbuttoning, and unzipping the complicated backing for the bodice of her gown with the skill of a man who'd probably undressed one too many women in his past. The heavy, couture gown fell from her curves, landing at her ankles in a cloud of gossamer and tulle. He held Elyse's hands and helped her step from the cumbersome fabric. In the next moment, his right hand skirted toward the clasp of her bra while his left hand tugged at the hem of her panties. Elyse swatted him away. "Leave them on."

His eyes darkened with interest. "Is this part of my punishment?"

Elyse didn't answer him. She let her actions do the talking instead. She placed her palms upon his bare chest and started pushing him toward the bed. He didn't resist as they toppled onto the mattress together. She climbed on top of him in her lacy white bra and panties, purposely planting her knees on either side of his waist without making contact. Her pussy hovering enticingly over his all too ready dick.

A shadow of a smirk continued to linger on his lips. The bastard appeared to be enjoying his penance way too much. Their power play seemed to turn him on. Elyse glared down at him. She intended to wring the truth from him through his cock. She couldn't wait to make him suffer. It'd serve him right if she denied him altogether. Either option felt like fair game at this point. She reached between her thighs to slide the crotch of her panties to the side, revealing herself to him. Her fingers danced and teased along her lips, the delicate petals of her folds, and the pretty pink of every crease until—

Alessandro drew in a sharp breath as she found her clit. Around and around, Elyse used her middle and ring fingers to circle her sinful, little pleasure point. Over and over, she stroked herself. Dipping inside to wet her fingertips several times to heighten her pleasure. Elyse's diamond glistened upon her ring finger. Her slick pussy also began to glisten.

His steely shaft twitched and writhed beneath her. Brown and blue-gray eyes were mesmerized by each movement of her fingers. His breaths were practically panting. He couldn't seem to look away. Without warning, Elyse lowered herself to him, grasping his cock in hand to allow his reddening tip to brush against her hot, slippery folds. Alessandro's breath shorted as he groaned, " Per favore, cuore mio, do not tease, I have been patient for so long!"

His hands came to grip her hips as though intending to ram inside.

"No, I'm in charge," Elyse murmured tauntingly, rising a few inches to dangle herself just out of his reach. " Behave . Or you can go fuck yourself. The choice is yours ."

Alessandro chuckled humorlessly. "I see the tables have turned."

She teased her folds against his cock once more. "Why did you stay in Paris for so long?"

He panted, "I was working."

"On?"

"Sales."

Fuck his vague-ass answers. Elyse sank onto his cock. No more than an inch, though. The swollen head stretched her tight, wet walls. Elyse's head swam with pleasure as Alessandro's eyes rounded out, rolling heavenward in sheer bliss.

It was time for specifics. "What were you trying to sell?"

He thrust in a little more and moaned, " Cazzo Madre di Dio , I am in heaven."

She danced away, breaking contact between her pussy and his cock. "Answer me."

" Coca ."

Cocaine? Elyse slid back down. Her pussy hugged him like a candied vice. "Don't you want to fuck your wife?"

His nostrils flared. With desire. Frustration . "You are trying to kill me."

With a lethal smile, Elyse rode his cockhead with her pussy, pumping his thick, throbbing tip in and out of her tightness in shallow, teasing, not-at-all-enough movements. "Tell me what happened with Castillo and Marrone. Did your deal with them fall through?"

Alessandro gritted his teeth. Every muscle in his body was straining as though in pain even while pleasure soared between them. "Non adesso,cuore mio.Parliamo dopo."

He appeared to be struggling to find his English. Desperate grunts tumbled from his mouth in a lust-drenched stupor. Heat and want sang through Elyse as well. Her hips snapped and rolled as she rocked herself over his body at needier and needier speeds.

With a low, imposing growl, his large hands clamped around her hips. Swiftly, Elyse was thrown beneath him. She gasped in shock as he dove between her legs. It happened so fast. Her bra flew away. Her panties disappeared. His arms looped around her thighs, splaying her pussy wide, as he shoved his cock back inside with a defiant thrust. Elyse was more than slick, wet, and ready, but she still winced at the invasive, breathtaking stretch. Her husband was a very well-endowed man.

"Slow down," she moaned. "You're too fucking big."

"We will make it fit."

He began to pound her like a machine. The constant, clenching friction seared them in bursts of euphoric bliss. His hips pistoned back and forth at rapid-fire speeds. His rhythm was hard and unrelenting. He didn't stop until the tip of his cock hit the back of her cunt. She had never been fucked so deeply. Both eyes squeezed shut. Elyse moaned and panted her pleasure, tilting her hips toward him, helpless to push him away, as her climax began to uncoil and spiral everywhere like an unstoppable storm.

His arms slipped from her thighs. Alessandro reached over to find Elyse's hands, lacing his fingers with hers, as he pinned them on either side of her head. He bent down to kiss her passionately. Aggressively. His tongue swirled with hers. His teeth tugged at her lower lip. Alessandro gasped in a clipped, strained whisper, " Non vorrei mai lasciarti andare ."

Then, he shuddered. His cock throbbed as he poured into her in strong, steady pulses. Frustration and bliss mounted in Elyse. She'd been so close, but she hadn't come yet. Before she could even voice her displeasure, Alessandro's hands were back on her hips. Jesus, fuck. How was this possible? He was still hard . The bastard gripped her curves, flipping her over onto hands and knees. On his knees, he shuffled toward her until his solid length probed her from behind. With one hand, Alessandro laid a satisfying, stinging smack on her ass before guiding himself back inside her cunt.

They both groaned in relief as he sank deeply into her wet, welcoming warmth. His fingers clutched her hips as an anchor. Then, Alessandro began to pound into her again with renewed vigor, impossibly harder and faster than the incredible fucking he'd given earlier. Pain kissed with pleasure. He reached around to pinch and play with her clit. She climaxed right then and there. Elyse's eyes rolled as she flew to the stars. Again and again, her pussy clenched and contracted around his cock. Even after her release, he kept going. He kept fucking and fucking and fucking until a second wave of ecstasy rolled through Elyse. Their bodies shone with sweat. Elyse fell forward from the force of his thrusts. Her cheek crashed into the pillow. She cried out her maker's name and his name, "Oh, Dios , Alessandro!"

He wasn't done with her. He pulled out of her, still hard, on the edge of another orgasm, and rolled her on her back. His cock slid in with her legs wrapped around his waist. She groaned in mindless approval, "So fucking good..."

Alessandro said nothing. His face, though, wore the pleased look of a proud, possessive male. This time, his thrusts were in control, slow, and painstakingly gentle. Elyse's pussy was beginning to feel raw and all too sensitive from being used in such a frenzied fucking, but somehow pleasure continued to simmer through her core as her husband made love to her. Their chests rose and fell in quivering, drawn-out breaths.

Brown and blue-gray eyes found hers. His gaze was tender and soft. Alessandro used one hand to clasp her wrists, gently pinning them over her head. His other hand dipped between them once more to fondle her clit with light, teasing touches. A small smile rested upon his lips as he dipped down to kiss her sweetly. Unhurriedly. For quite some time, Alessandro held this maddeningly divine rhythm. He fucked her as though she was as delicate as glass and lace and flakes of freshly fallen snow. Her softness melted around him as his hardness drove into her. Together, their bodies joined and parted as two halves of a whole, man and woman, husband and wife, the divine and the unholy, until pleasure swept them away in a blindingly beautiful oblivion. In soft, gasping tones, he moaned sweet nothings into her ear, " Concediti a me, cuore mio, lascia che io ti ami ..."

She whimpered his name and kissed him all over, "Take me, Alessandro, all of me..."

Afterward, Alessandro folded Elyse into his arms. She lay beside him, drifting, dozing, in a haze of waning pleasure and waxing confusion. Her heart had never felt fuller. Yet, her mind felt quite heavy. What had occurred between them no longer felt like sex. What now existed between them was beginning to feel like something far more precious, so terrifyingly intimate that Elyse didn't dare examine it up close. She didn't want to give this all-consuming emotion a name. As long as she didn't acknowledge it, the feeling wasn't real. It couldn't hurt her. She refused to surrender to it .

There were still so many questions she needed to ask him. Still so many answers that he owed her. To Elyse's surprise, Alessandro seemed to pick up on her anxiety. He glanced at her with a slightly wary expression. "You look… tense. Did you not enjoy our wedding night?"

No man had ever made her come so hard or so many times in one night.

"Stop fishing for compliments," she muttered. "You know I enjoyed it."

"But?"

Elyse shot him a grim, pointed look. "I'm still upset with you."

His mouth quirked. Her eyebrow arched as she eyed him with expectation. Alessandro kissed her temple and sighed, "It seems I cannot fuck away your anger. No matter how hard I try. Very well. You win . Let us talk. Then, maybe, afterward, we can fuck some more..."

Elyse glared at her new husband. There would definitely be no more fucking tonight. She wanted to kick herself for giving in so readily and letting Alessandro have his way with her. Their game completely slipped her mind in the heat of the moment. Her trump card had literally been fucked away, and, worst of all, she'd done nothing to deter him. Her weakness for the bastard was appalling, and this was only the first of many mistakes. Like sex-crazed idiots, they'd forgotten condoms. Elyse wasn't on birth control. Thank God she knew from the physicals that her husband's blood work was clean. Yet, knowing her luck, his demon-charged sperm would probably find a way to get her pregnant even though this was the first time they slept together. Anxiety kicked in. Elyse tore away from Alessandro's arms and made a beeline for the bathroom. Surprise flickered across Alessandro's handsome face. He propped himself up on his elbows as he watched her scurry off. "Where are you going? I thought we were about to talk?"

Elyse mumbled over her shoulder, "I'll be right back."

How could she be so careless? Trapped by her Graviano name and her father's debts to the mafia, she had no choice but to accept such a shitty fate. It'd be downright cruel and sadistic to bring a child into her nightmare. Elyse desperately wanted to wash away the possibility of Little Alessandros or Alessandras taking root. But the damage could already be done. The medical professional in her was fully aware that soap and water could only kill sperm outside of her vagina, and morning after pills only had a 75% rate of effectiveness.

After a very thorough and intentional cleansing with soap and water, Elyse returned to Alessandro's side. He seemed completely unaware of her distress. His face brightened the very second she stepped back in sight. He held out his arms to her. "Come here, wife."

She climbed back into his embrace. He snuggled her. Her curves rested against his hard, muscled frame. He kissed her adoringly as though they had been parted for years instead of minutes.

"I missed you," Alessandro murmured into her hair.

She side-eyed him. "I was only gone for a few minutes."

"Even a minute feels like eternity when you are away."

Elyse laughed in spite of herself. " Stop ."

Alessandro grinned cheekily. " Never . I must never stop with you. It was my dogged persistence that chained you to me. If God is kind, He will let me keep you. Forever."

He planted another kiss on her nose. Again, Elyse couldn't help smiling even while she chided, "Forever is a long time. You'll be sick of me by then."

" You might get sick of me. But I can never tire of you. Forever will not be enough. You are a gift . A gift I do not deserve, so I must cling to you and protect what we have with all my might."

To Alessandro, protection meant keeping her ignorant about most aspects of his life. But she deserved the truth. Elyse glanced over to Alessandro. "Sir?"

Out of habit, the word slipped out before she could stop herself. Elyes cringed inwardly. It felt strange to address him as such now that they were married. The word seemed to upset Alessandro as well. His mouth curved with a frown of disapproval.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

His hand slid around her waist to claim her breasts. "I am your husband now. Call me by my name. Unless we are playing games. Then, you may address me as— sir ."

He pinched her nipple in a playful manner. Elyse's breath inhaled sharply as pleasure shot through her. "I—"

Concentration faltered at the thought of more games with him. Alessandro smirked at her pinkening cheeks. "Do not be shy. You had no trouble saying it earlier. I will never forget the way you screamed and moaned and whimpered my na—"

She growled in warning tones. " Alessandro ."

"I prefer Alessio, though," he countered mischievously. His fingertips traced tantalizing lines down her belly. "Everyone else calls me Alessandro. I want to hear Alessio from your lips and only your lips."

"Talk first," Elyse insisted as he continued to distract her, "fuck later."

Alessandro's hand slid between her legs, his palm grazed her clit, pressed down, then started rubbing, caressing, fondling her cunt with renewed interest. Desire flared once more. It was almost impossible to resist when all she wanted was to grind against him.

"Fine. Alessio ," Elyse huffed in an attempt to wriggle away from his touch. "Now, tell me, what happened in Paris?"

The mention of Paris seemed to snuff out Alessandro's roguish demeanor like a doused flame. Hesitation shone from his eyes. "You do not want to know. It will alter the way you see me. And your opinion of me has never been very high."

His directness caught her off guard, but he wasn't incorrect. In many ways, she still thought of him as the devil. But even Lucifer had been an angel once. She willed herself to keep an open mind. Diplomatically, Elyse offered, "I'm your wife now. I must stand with you no matter what."

A thoughtful, shrewd look crossed his face. "This is true. You are stuck with me."

" Paris ," she prompted gently. "Focus."

His confidence seemed to return in full. Alessandro didn't mince words when he confessed, "I needed to dispose of a body. The logistics of this task delayed me."

Elyse tried not to freak out. "You disposed of a… body?"

"Technically, two . I disposed of one and staged the other."

What the hell did he mean? Elyse didn't know if she was ready to delve deeper into this morbid conversation. She asked uneasily, "Who were you trying to get rid of?"

"Enzo Marrone."

So the lapdog from Stidda was dead. "And?"

"A narc from the Paris Police Prefecture. He was working undercover."

" Mierda ," she muttered.

"He was profiling Morrone, and Morrone brought him to us while we were renegotiating the terms of our agreement with Castillo's shipments."

"Were you the one who killed them?"

"I pulled the trigger on Morrone, but not on the officer," Alessandro replied. "With him, I only gave the order. To make it look like an accident."

Elyse's stomach churned. This was the hellish reality she'd married today. Dark, frightening, and all too real, she wanted to scream and weep at the brutality of his world. But Elyse swallowed her agony and simply asked, "Why was it necessary to kill them?"

"To send a message."

"What message?"

"I wanted Castillo to let Beltrán know what happens to men who try to fuck with me. It will make them think twice about going behind my back to do business with the Stidda."

She didn't want to judge him, but her conscience was in turmoil. "Murdering two men seems a bit heavy-handed."

"Everyone must know that I am to be feared," he countered. "With enough fear in their hearts, enemies will not try to take what is mine, and allies will continue to stand by my side. Such measures prevent senseless deaths in the future."

Her brow pinched. "I see."

"I do not know if you truly see."

Elyse couldn't disagree with him. She might never be able to understand his side of this argument. Her entire career had been focused on saving lives. Not murdering people in cold blood. In pained tones, Elyse said in a shaky whisper, "I understand where you're coming from, but I don't get how you can make these difficult choices so easily."

"The choice is easy when I have no choice."

"We always have a choice."

"Not in the mafia, and especially not as a Vitale." An uncharacteristic heaviness settled over Alessandro's countenance. Her husband's face became devoid of expression. His eyes grew distant and cold. "My father once told me that those in power, men like us , must never show weakness. If there is a threat, we remove it. Swiftly and decisively. Those who falter and fail to act will not survive."

Elyse's heart rate picked up. She could sense Alessandro's story was about to take a dark and sinister turn.

"On my eighteenth birthday, he brought me one of the seedier districts in Palermo. There—my father introduced me to a man named Mauricio. I believe he was homeless. There was no bad blood between us. Mauricio was a stranger. Unarmed and helpless. Then, my father took out two guns. He handed me a Beretta and raised the other to my head. I will never forget what he said to me that day."

She waited with bated breath.

" Either Mauricio dies. Or you die. Choose, my son, and prove that you have what it takes to be a Vitale. "

Elyse gasped. Clearly, Alessandro was alive, which meant—

Oh, Dios .

Elyse didn't know how to respond, so she chose to stay silent. Her heart, however, plummeted as she lay in bed beside Alessandro. She eyed him anxiously. The same hands that brought her mind-numbing pleasure had also put a bullet in Mauricio's head. Alessandro's eyes turned bleak. "I should have killed my father that day."

Gently, she urged, "If Mauricio's death still weighs on you, it's not too late to change course. You don't have to become your father."

"I do not want to be anything like my old man. But his brand of violence is necessary to keep the peace. Someone has to be the peacekeeper. Might as well be me."

Elyse didn't know if she agreed with Alessandro. In her old life, only God was allowed to decide whether a man lived or died. Yet, she could also sympathize with the upbringing her husband had endured to become his father's successor. Morality no longer mattered when men were staring death in the face. She dared to question, "What about the officer in Paris? Why did he need to die?"

"He knew too much."

"Would you ever kill me if I knew too much?"

The sheets rustled as Alessandro turned toward Elyse. He gazed deeply into her eyes. The intensity rolling from him was unsettling. Alessandro vowed solemnly, "Gun to my head, I would gut myself before laying a hand on you."

"Only time will tell," Elyse drawled, "which one of us is right."

Alessandro promised once more, "I will prove myself to you."

She ignored him and moved on, "Why couldn't you tell me all of this last week?"

"I was being cautious."

Cautious? "Didn't know you knew the meaning of the word."

"At the time, I had not confirmed if authorities were still tracking my movements. I did not want to incriminate you. Especially since we were not wed yet. I wanted to give you the opportunity to plead ignorance if the police came to question you."

His consideration for her well-being was oddly moving. But, then, Elyse picked up on what he had left unsaid. "Are you being tracked by the Paris Police Prefecture?"

" No ," he said with a scoff. "My men and I are smarter than Morrone. Our operations are untraceable."

"I'm surprised that you're actually answering my questions. For once . I assume this means you're safe from the authorities?"

"To be honest," Alessandro replied, "you and I are never safe. Not even when threats have been removed. The only reason I am sharing everything with you now because you are my woman. My wife . I need you to see me for what I am. As a monster and a man. And stand by me, regardless."

Elyse stilled at the weight of his words. This —would be the trade-off for the life of luxury that Alessandro was offering her. Gun to her head, would she be willing to pull the trigger on someone like Mauricio? Her soul was going to mirror Alessandro's sins if she stuck around long enough. Elyse knew her virtue would be tested when she decided to stay and not run , but her decision had never felt more devastating than it did at this moment. "That's a big ask, Alessio."

"I know," he muttered with a despondent grunt, "that is why I delayed this conversation for as long as I could."

Another stark realization spread over her. Despite Alessandro's honeyed words and breathtakingly romantic gestures, it appeared that her husband had known all along. He'd known that his world was a hellish one, one that destroyed the innocent and corrupted souls, but he chose to lure her in, anyway. Sharply, Elyse challenged, "Did you delay it in case I got cold feet before the wedding?"

"Perhaps."

"You're not afraid that I might try to run now that you have revealed your true colors?"

"You will break my heart if you go," he whispered. "You are the only goodness in my life."

Bitterness crawled up her throat. "Then why did you force me to marry you?"

Alessandro fell silent. Elyse glared at him. He mumbled, "Because..."

She prompted again, "I deserve to know."

"I did not want Stefano or Mikey to hurt you anymore, and I could not stand by and watch your grandfather give you to another man."

She'd heard these reasons before. "Those weren't my only options."

"But they were your most probable ones."

Elyse's emotions began to spiral into a chaotic blur. He was right, but he was also wrong. She hated it so much. Elyse spat, "Do you see yourself as my savior?"

"Not at all," Alessandro responded, remorsefully, "I know I have done wrong by you. But I hope, someday, you will come to understand why I did it. I genuinely believe I can give you the best life out of these limited options."

A hushed, painful tension settled between them. They were still laying beside each other, naked, like blissful newlyweds in a beautiful honeymoon suite, but there was very little unity between them. Such a strange, surreal night. Much like their wedding day. Elyse's heart carried potent feelings for Alessandro. Her mind knew better than to fall, though. Would Alessandro still be willing to divorce her after all the ugly secrets she'd uncover over the course of their marriage?

"I don't hate you," Elyse admitted finally, "but I don't know if I could ever love you."

He reached over to caress her cheek. "You do not have to love me, cuore mio . I only wish for you to stay with me. Until I can stand taller than my father's shadow."

His touch soothed away some of her anger. Reason and sense returned to her. Alessandro didn't believe that he had a choice in his fate. Because of his father and his upbringing. He hadn't believed that she possessed more than two options—death by Stefano or marriage by mafia—before they became husband and wife. His views differed from hers. Elyse believed that she deserved more than one or two choices. She asked, "Are you a man of your word?"

"Of course."

Perhaps, not all hope was lost. "You promised to divorce me after my grandfather helps you achieve your goals. Is this still true?"

Alessandro's eyes gleamed with sadness, but he answered, " Sì ."

"Can you help me disappear after the divorce?"

If at all possible, his eyes grew sadder. "I can."

She placed her palm over his hand. "Alessio?"

He leaned into her touch like a large feline. "What is it?"

"I want to believe that you're a good man who's being forced to become a bad one."

"You do not think I am a bad man pretending to be a good one?"

With a sad smile of her own, Elyse stared into his beautiful brown and blue-gray eyes. "I have to believe that you're a goddamn angel. Otherwise, I'm fucked. I'll be trapped in hell with you. Forever."

He chuckled at her candidness, but his eyes still looked miserable. "Is that the optimist in you talking? Or the realist?"

"Probably both."

Suddenly, Alessandro leaned over to kiss her. Desperately. Urgently. Hopelessly. She let him. They were husband and wife, after all. He needed her. She needed him as well. Their lives were bound together in a fight for survival. As his arms came around her, she laid her head upon his solid chest, and Elyse realized that she hadn't truly known her husband until tonight. In truth, there were two opposing sides to the man she had wed.

He was Alessio. Her charming, attentive, doting lover, who often promised her everything under the sun and the moon and the stars and made her believe that, maybe, just maybe, he might deliver on his impossible vows.

He was also Alessandro Vitale, the next capo of the Vitale clan who would need to oversee an underground empire worth billions of dollars. There had already been two attempts on his life. That she knew of . The road ahead was going to be a dangerous one.

If her husband failed in securing his throne, it was likely that they would both die.