I understand that, but a part of this treaty between our Families hinges on my father taking the reins back from Oz. I would have taken over, but it makes the De Luca Family appear weak if I have to step down when my father's feeling like himself.
"I'm okay with that. Can you send it to me in writing?" Lara asks.
I pull out my phone and make a few notes for the contract I'll draw up in my office. "I'll have that drafted and sent to you tomorrow. As far as tonight goes, what will it take to get my father discharged and for you to take a drive to see where you'll be working?"
Lara glances at her watch and looks over her shoulder. She sighs with relief as a nurse and orderly jog into the ward with Barry on their tails.
"Travel expenses and an immediate start bonus of say… a thousand bucks?" She raises an eyebrow, but the price doesn't make me flinch.
I extend my hand. "You have a deal, Miss Keegan."
With that, she turns on her heels to get my father's release papers together as well as informing the staff of what they're walking into.
Lorenzo already has my father in the wheelchair, and Evelyn is speaking softly to him. As we leave, I'm ready to head home.
Evelyn's voice—fatigue's setting in for the both of us—is soft as she says, "We should head out to your father's place and make sure he's okay for the night."
"I agree."
It doesn't take long for me to get a private car to the hospital. Getting him home the night before his scheduled release is a great deterrent to anyone looking to make a move on my father. Lara takes the ride with Pop, and we follow closely behind. As we get out of the car, Evelyn holds me back a moment.
"I think we should stay the night in case Lara needs to leave or it's more than she can handle."
I nod. "You're right. But if you'd like to go back to the house, I can have Lorenzo take you."
"I agreed to be your wife, Alessandro. I'm not leaving you on our wedding night." Sarcasm with a hint of seduction, and even promise, lies under her tone.
I nod with a slight chuckle and lead her into the family home I grew up in. Evelyn's eager curiosity makes her chipper as she passes by pictures of me as a kid. There's one of me and Lorenzo playing stickball on a street I can't remember. Somberness settles over her as she stares at a picture of me and my mother.
Rosary De Luca, a saint among sinners who loved the men in her life with every breath. I can't let myself sink into this mood. It's one of the reasons I don't come here often. Still, I visit Pop whenever we're not discussing business. That's typically reserved for rooms he knows the police haven't tapped. We press on deeper into the house.
As Lara helps my father settle in for the night, I show Evelyn into my bedroom. There've been a few upgrades over the years as I crash here every once in a while. Seeing Evelyn take everything in makes me want to share the more private side of my life with her. She doesn't have to be here. Yet, she's standing by me, playing the role to perfection.
After getting her fresh linens and some clothes she can change into, I check in on my father. He's in the master bedroom, bickering with Lara, who's standing with her arms folded over her chest.
"Anything I can help with?" I ask from the doorway.
"She's being bossy about my meds. I'm a horse, dammit, an Italian stallion." Pop curves his arms to flex his muscles.
Lara cuts himself off. "A stallion who won't gallop right if you don't take the medication. Now, you hired me to take care of you, so let me do my job and I can come back in the morning. We'll iron out my schedule and figure out how to make this work for all of us. Capiche?"
Pop grins as he takes his pills and a bottle of water from his new caretaker. Seeing that she has everything under control, I get in the shower after Evelyn finishes up and step into the bedroom where she's under the blankets already.
My heart races like I'm a fucking teenager who's never been with a girl, but lying in the bed beside her, I wonder if she's going to kick me out of the room. The third room in the house is more like a shrine to my mother. No one's allowed in there except my father, and if Evelyn wants to sleep alone, I'll make myself comfortable on the couch downstairs. Instead, she turns over, her breaths deep and eyes heavy, with a tiny grin.
"Thank you for today, mio dolce."
She moves her face closer to mine, kissing me softly. "You're welcome, Alessandro."
The kiss doesn't end, encouraging me to pull her close to me. Her eyes close, and my hands roam the curves of her body hiding under one of my long T-shirts. The first time I get to feel her soft skin against my hands sends lustful impulses straight to my cock. She moans with every pass of my tongue over hers, and I want to hear those same noises as my mouth explores her body.
"Take this off," I command, helping her out of the shirt and shorts she's wearing while moving myself on top of her. I have to keep my boxers on or else I'll lose myself. Right now, I just want to thank her for not fighting this arrangement between us.
The tightness in my chest ripples down every inch of my body, but I ignore my urges to satisfy myself and focus on my wife, mio dolce.
My arms anchor themselves to the mattress as my lips create a trail from her neck to her tits, and down to the mound of flesh between her thighs. I can't take the time I want as we're not alone in the house, so I have to make this quick.
My movements are swift, tossing her legs over my shoulders and sliding my tongue between the tender folds of her pussy. My God, she tastes as sweet as she smells. Evelyn's gasp when she first feels my tongue wrap around her clit is a welcoming sound.