Merger (Triple Threat Book 3) (9 page)

She was stubborn, and she remained impassive underneath him for several minutes. Finally, with a small sigh and a moan, her lips softened and molded to his, and when he pressed his tongue against the seam of her lips, they yielded to allow him entry into her mouth. He let out a sigh of his own, relieved to have broken down her defenses, hoping she would now be receptive to the truth.

He savored the taste of her as he put everything of himself into the kiss, needing her to believe he was sincere in his love for her, and desperate to keep her. He wanted her to stay of her own volition, not because he had blackmailed her into agreeing to stay his wife.

Her body was soft and pliable under his now, and he could no longer resist the urge to let his mouth roam farther afield, moving first over her chin, and then down to her neck, where he nibbled and sucked lightly at the spot that seemed to drive her wild. Her hips bucked against him, and he knew he’d found the perfect place. He focused on that for a few moments, judging by the limpid state of her body that he was hitting all the right buttons, and she was soon blissed out on passion.

She had clearly prepared for bed, since she wore a terrycloth robe over a pajama shorts set. His fingers were clumsy when he untied the robe, finally getting the knot on his third attempt before sliding open the lapels to reveal the pink satin pajama set underneath. It was more cute than sexy, but on her, it was the most irresistible thing he’d ever seen
.

He tried sliding it up, but it paused at her rib cage, bunching in the back. Then he tried pushing down the neckline, but he still couldn’t reach her breasts. In a fit of frustration, he used his teeth to tear at the hem, before ripping open the garment with both hands. She let out a small cry of surprise, but she didn’t seem to be frightened of his actions, and she was still clearly immersed in the sensations overwhelming her body.

Dominic fell forward, his mouth seeking out one of her breasts, tongue lapping the taut bud before he began to suck. She whimpered and arched her hips as her fingers threaded through his hair, holding him against her. He would have chuckled with victory, but he was too far gone to be capable of that. He simply wanted to taste all of her and immerse himself in his wife until he couldn’t tell where he ended and she began.

With his other hand, he caressed the neglected breast before switching his attention to that one. The way she writhed and moaned underneath him was driving him wild, and Dominic wasn’t certain how much longer he could hold on. He didn’t want to rush her or this moment, because he knew everything was riding on it. Physically was how they had connected to start with, and it was how they would reconnect. This was his only chance to convince her of his sincerity and keep her with him.

He could lock her up and hide her from the world, keeping her from escaping him, but even if he did that, she would never truly be his. She had to want to stay, and she had to submit to her own need for him, to embrace whatever she felt for him. He hoped it was love, or at least close to it. She must have felt something for him once, and deeply, since she had taken a huge gamble by marrying him. He had screwed that up, but he was determined to make it right and keep them together.

It was torture tearing his mouth away from her breast, but the enticement of even sweeter flesh waiting below finally spurred him to do so. Dominic ran his tongue down her abdomen, smiling when her stomach quivered underneath his touch, and she moaned again. Her hand was still in his hair, and she was tugging sharply, enough to make his scalp sting, but he didn’t protest. He didn’t want to do anything to disrupt the moment.

His hands made short work of the pajama bottoms, sliding the shorts down her hips and under her buttocks before pulling them down her legs. He managed to free one ankle before he abandoned the task to return to the slick spot between her legs. He propped her thigh on his shoulder before burying his face in the heated flesh of her pussy.

He savored the musky sweetness he found there as he licked and sucked every exposed inch of her. Her taste was addictive, and he was certain he would never get enough. If Lily insisted on leaving him, he was going to be a bitter man with only memories of the sweetest pussy he’d ever tasted to keep him going.

She had both hands in his hair now, and she was frantically bucking against his face as he slipped his tongue down her slit, squirming into her opening to thrust against her before swiping his tongue upward again and sucking carefully on her clit. Her entire body spasmed as she started to come, and she cried out his name as she reached her climax. Her fingernails dug sharply into his scalp, making him wince, but he didn’t break the rhythm he’d established. He simply eased down so she wouldn’t be overwhelmed, and the pleasure wouldn’t turn to pain on her sensitive flesh. He didn’t stop though. He wanted her revved up and on the edge of coming at any moment.

His intention of ravishing her with his mouth until she was a pile of goo fled when she spoke. “Need you… Please…”

He didn’t have to be asked twice, and he somehow managed to push down his pants without leaving his perch between her legs. He felt like an uncouth teenager as he angled his cock to take possession of her, still wearing his shirt and pants. He couldn’t deny he was eager for her though, and the idea of separating from her even long enough to take off his clothes was unbearable.

Instead, he surrendered to the need in her eyes, which was the same need thundering through him, and slid into her welcoming heat. She was slick from her pleasure, and he didn’t think he was imagining that her pussy was softer and more welcoming than it had been for weeks.

He started out slowly, surging fully into her before withdrawing almost completely and repeating the motion again. She rocked against him, her thighs clamping around his waist, clearly determined to keep him with her. Since he had no intention of going anywhere, he reveled in having her twined around him, trapping him against her smaller body.

Soon enough, the pace escalated, and the rhythm he’d set became jerky and unfocused. Somehow, she still managed to match each thrust of his hips, clinging to him as he thrust in and out of her. When he reached the pinnacle, he pushed as deeply inside as he could, unleashing his release as her sheath tightened around him, and her low, keening moan told him she was coming too.

He would have known anyway by the way she clamped around his cock, squeezing and tightening, as though determined to draw every drop of seed from him. It was an intense climax, made even more enthralling by the look in her eyes when her gaze locked with his. She didn’t look away, and she didn’t shy away when he bent his head at an awkward angle to kiss her again. She responded with enthusiasm, moving a hand from his back to his hair to anchor him against her.

She hadn’t spoken any words yet, but he didn’t think he was fooling himself by believing that she wouldn’t leave now. Words would come later, but right now, he needed as much of her as he could have, having been deprived of the connection for far too long. Perhaps she felt the same way, because she clung to him as he awkwardly got up from the couch, never loosening his hold on his wife as he climbed the stairs to his room, where he took her and laid down with her on the bed. Having her back in the room felt right, and he was certain she was back where she belonged. He could only hope it was permanently, and that she had no plans to try to leave him again.

Something woke Lily. Considering the hours’ long passionate onslaught Dominic had unleashed upon her, she hadn’t expected to wake before noon, let alone in the middle of the night. A quick glance at the clock revealed it was just after four in the morning, and she started to sit up, trying to determine what had awakened her. Dominic’s arm around her clenched tighter, as though he was unable to let go of her even in his sleep
.

The thought made her feel gooey inside, and she glanced down at him. The digital clock on the nightstand provided the only illumination, so she couldn’t clearly see his features, but she could imagine they were etched with exhaustion, remembering how tired they had both been the last time they’d made love. It had been slow and drawn out, each appreciating the other’s every line and curve, and she was certain she had fallen straight to sleep after her orgasm had crested and waned.

She was still uncertain why she had woken abruptly, so she reached over to turn on the lamp, stretching awkwardly since Dominic’s arm anchored her against him and limited her range of motion. As soon as the light came on, she let out a startled gasp and reflexively clutched the blanket to her chest to hide her nudity. “Dad, what are you doing here?”

Even as she asked, she knew. The gun in his hand made it obvious exactly why he had come into Dominic’s room in the middle of the night. Had he been startled to find her there too? If it had been a different night, she wouldn’t have been there. He might not have done anything to wake Dominic, and he could have shot her husband while he slept. The thought sent a cold chill through her. “You can’t do this.”

Dominic started to stir, his hand on her waist moving higher to cup her breasts. “Not right now again,” he muttered, sounding exhausted. “Need food first.”

“Dominic, wake up,” she said firmly. Her gaze never left her father and the gun he held pointed roughly in Dominic’s direction. “How did you get in here, Dad? Dominic has people all around the estate.”

Her father made a scoffing sound. “I was on the SWAT team for ten years before I entered the administrative side, in case you’ve forgotten, young lady. I still have all my training, and I wasn’t as rusty as I thought I’d be.”

She gave him a small smile, reluctantly proud of him even under the circumstances. “I’m glad you still have it, Dad, but you shouldn’t be here.”

Dominic was clearly awake now, though he hadn’t moved. When she glanced down at him, she could see his eyes were open just barely, his eyelids forming slits. He was in a watchful state, apparently having grasped the situation even without fully opening his eyes.

“You said it yourself. You’d be better off without Dominic. This is the only way I can free you, baby. My life is over now. My career’s ended, and the scumbag managed to turn me into scum just like him. Believe me when I say it’ll be my pleasure to free you from his clutches.”

She licked her lips, struggling to get through to him. She couldn’t allow him to shoot Dominic. The idea nearly crippled her with grief, both at the thought of losing Dominic and of having her father go to prison for being the one to shoot him. She licked her lips again, noticing they were dry and cracked. It was probably from the hours of kissing, since Dominic had seemed unable to get enough of her mouth.

Her thoughts veered away from that arena as soon as her father brought up the gun and focused more carefully on Dominic. “I don’t want to be without Dominic, Dad. He’s my husband, and I’m not leaving him.”

Her father looked stunned. “That’s impossible. He manipulated you into all of this, using your family as a threat against you. You told me yourself he threatened to kill us all if you tried to leave him.”

She nodded, knowing she had to reconcile that side of Dominic with this side. “I know, and that’s the truth. He did say that, and I think he meant it at the time, or at least I believed he did. I can’t help how I feel though, and I don’t want anything to happen to him.”

Her father ran a hand through his nearly white hair, shaking his head in frustration. “I’ll never understand women. As soon as he’s gone, you’ll snap out of whatever he’s done to you. He doesn’t deserve to live.”

She tried changing tactics, sensing she wasn’t going to be able to sway her father on that stance. It was strange that even earlier today, she probably would have agreed with him, though she still would have tried to stop him from shooting Dominic. “You can’t shoot someone like this, not in cold blood. This isn’t you, Dad. You’ve spent your whole life upholding the law and trying to get justice for people.”

He snorted. “It was a wasted endeavor, clearly. There’s no justice in a situation like this, sweetheart. It all comes down to revenge. I’m not usually one to go after revenge, but for everything he’s done to you, and what he’s cost me, I’ll have no trouble shooting him.”

Dominic chose that moment to speak, and she wanted to throttle him when he said, “If that were the case, you would have already shot me and been gone by now. Why don’t you put down the gun, Philip, and we’ll figure this out like adults?”

“Don’t provoke him,” she hissed at her husband, glaring down at him when his eyes opened fully and met hers. “He’ll shoot you.”

Dominic looked unconcerned as he carefully sat up, still keeping her hand in his even after he had settled against the headboard, eyeing Philip as though he were the one in command, despite his lack of weapon or clothing. “Put away the gun now.”

Her father’s hand trembled for a second before it steadied again. “I can’t do that. I need to free my daughter.”

Dominic sighed softly. “I appreciate you’re trying to protect her, but you don’t need to protect her from me. I love Lily, and I’d die for her. I know you feel the same way, so let’s try to meet on some common ground for Lily’s sake. You don’t want to taint her memories of you by having you shoot her husband in front of her, and I’m certainly not going to kill you, or order your death now that I’ve managed to break through Lily’s icy walls and reconnect with her. We’re at a stalemate.”

She watched her father carefully, seeing the beads of perspiration collecting on his forehead. She wasn’t as confident as Dominic that he wouldn’t shoot, especially if he thought he was protecting her. “Please don’t, Dad. I do love Dominic, and I want to be with him. I’d like us all to be able to get along.”

Her father looked betrayed as he glanced in her direction. “What, you expect me to have family dinners with this scum? Just sit around the Christmas tree passing gifts back and forth while knowing how much blood is on his hands? I’m afraid I can’t do that, Lily.”

“I’ve always tried to do what you wanted me to, Dad. I tried to be a perfect daughter and make you happy. I’ve done things that didn’t feel like me, and I’ve given up things I wanted because you thought they were a bad choice. I can’t do that this time. I love you, and I always will, but I can’t give up Dominic to make you happy. You’re going to have to find a way to make this work, or you won’t be part of my life. That part is heartbreaking, and I can hardly stand the thought, so I hope you can move past your anger and disapproval to at least be civil with Dominic. I don’t expect you to love him, or him to call you Dad, but if you both love me as much as you claim, you’ll find a way to set aside the past and at least pretend you like each other. For the sake of all of us.”

Her tone was stern, and she realized she was using the same one on her father that he often used on her when she had initially failed to comply with his wishes. She’d heard that tone very infrequently over the years, but it proved to be just as effective on her father is it had been on her. She watched with satisfaction as he slowly lowered the gun before returning it to his hip holster.

“Thank you,” she said in a softer tone. “I love you, Dad, and I appreciate you trying to take care of me, but I can take care of myself now. For now, I think it might be best if you took a little vacation and tried to sort through everything. You’ve been through hell too, and I don’t blame you for being angry with Dominic, but I hope you’ll also look at it from his point-of-view.”

Her father shook his head, looking nonplussed.

She pressed on, making her point. “He did what he did to protect his family, including his niece and nephew, and his aging parents. If you had continued with your investigation, it would have broken up their entire family, and we both know someone else would have just stepped in to fill the void of power. They might have been even worse than the Rinaldis.”

Philip’s mouth was a tight, straight line. “I can’t believe I’m hearing this from you. I raised you better than that.”

She let out a small sigh. “It isn’t easy for me either. I think I’ve come to realize the world isn’t completely black-and-white. There’s no one who’s one hundred percent good or evil. Circumstances affect us all and shape the choices we make. I wouldn’t have voluntarily fallen in love with a mobster, but it’s happened, and I have to live with it. So do you if you want to be part of our lives.”

Her father looked defeated as he turned and walked away. “I don’t understand this at all. I don’t feel like I know you anymore, Lily, but I’ll always love you. I just need some time.”

“I love you too.” She watched her father go before looking down at Dominic. “Will your people let him go without harming him?”

He didn’t answer as he reached for his cell phone, apparently dialing his head of security, because he said, “Let the old man pass through the estate without harm, but follow him and make sure he’s not planning something else. I want to have regular updates on his activities.” After hanging up, he looked at her. “They won’t lay a hand on him, but they’ll ensure he really is just taking some time to evaluate and come to a place where he can accept the change of circumstances.”

She let out a small sigh, brushing away a tear that tried to escape her eyes. “He seemed so sad and broken.”

Dominic’s mouth was taut. “Yes, and I’m sorry for that. It’s my fault he’s in this state, and if I could have found another way, I would have used it.”

She nodded. “I meant it when I told him that I understand the world isn’t completely black-and-white. You had to protect your family, and though it was at the expense of mine, I understand your position. I still don’t like what you did, but I’m not sure what I would have done in similar circumstances either. I would have felt compelled to protect my family, and I was torn tonight between protecting you and protecting my father from himself.”

He looked hesitant when he asked, “Did you mean it, or were you just saying it to distract your father from his plan to shoot me?”

She didn’t have to ask what
it
was. “I meant it. I do love you, Dominic. I fell for you in Mexico, though I was pretty close, I think, to stopping anything I felt for you until tonight. Or maybe I was just fooling myself, because I was so determined not to feel anything for you after the way you hurt and betrayed me. Either way, I’m surprised by the turn of events and how this evening ended up.”

He chuckled as he pulled her against him, arm around her shoulder as his other hand twined strands of hair around his fingers. “I’m pretty surprised by it all too, to be honest. A few hours ago, I was still denying my brothers’ accusations that I was in love with you, and here we are now, and I can’t seem to say it enough.”

She smiled at him. “I can’t seem to hear it enough, so feel free to say it again whenever you’d like.”

His expression was gentle, and his eyes tender when he said, “I love you, Lily Rinaldi.”

“I love you too, Dominic Rinaldi.” She mimicked his tone before leaning forward and stretching her head slightly to capture his mouth with hers. Her earlier exhaustion seemed to have abated, and it was clear she was going to need some unconventional sleep therapy to be able to fall asleep again. She was certain Dominic would have a few ideas on how to accomplish that.