Now Or Never (Erotic Romance) Book 2 (The DeLuca Brothers) (3 page)

He lived a bit further
away than she'd expected, but the taxi ride hadn't been all bad. She'd spent
the time running her fingers up and down his thigh until he'd practically
growled in her ear that he was going to fuck her so hard she wouldn't be able
to walk for a week.

Her reply?
“Promises, promises.”

When she saw his
place, she had a moment of curiosity about what he did to be able to afford an
apartment like this, and then his lips were on hers and she didn't care about
anything else. As he devoured her mouth, his hands slid up under the back of
her shirt, his palms hot against her back. She dropped her hands to his ass,
pulling him against her even as her fingers kneaded the firm flesh. Anthony's
mouth moved from hers, ghosting over her jawline and moved down the side of her
neck. He tugged at her shirt, pulling it off her shoulder and exposing the
delicate curve of her collarbone. He sucked at the skin there, drawing the
blood to the surface as one hand moved down to her ass.

Anthony stepped
back before she was ready to let him go and Cecile made a frustrated sound. He
chuckled, and she got even more wet. At this rate, both her panties and pants
would be soaked before she got naked.

“Come here,” he
said. He took her hand and led her through the living room to the large French
doors that led onto the balcony. He unlocked the doors and led her out onto the
balcony.

The air was
brisk and she shivered, but she couldn't deny the beauty of the view. The city
was breathtaking from here. She walked over to the railing, smiling as Anthony
wrapped his arms around her. It was so similar to part of her fantasy that she
flushed. His hands slid up under her sweater, caressing the soft silk of her
bra before teasing the ample flesh at the top of the cups. He put his lips
against her ear.

“I don't want a
one night stand either. This is a promise for the future,” he whispered. “One
day, I'm going to fuck you out here. Get down on my knees and lick you until
you cum, then I'll take you from behind. You'll have to bite your lips to keep
from screaming, but it'll turn you on knowing that you could be seen at any
time.”

It took her a
moment to be able to respond. “I'll remember that.” Cecile's voice was
breathless.

“Good.” Anthony
removed his hands from under her shirt. “Now let's head back inside where it's
warm. I can't wait to see what you've got on underneath those clothes.”

He was still
locking the door behind them when Cecile pulled off her sweater. By the time he
turned around, she was down to her matching gray panties and strapless bra. Anthony's
eyes widened and she watched his Adam's Apple bob as he swallowed.

“Your turn.” She
smiled at him as she echoed his words. “I want to see what you've got on
underneath those clothes.”

She'd never seen
anyone so big move so fast. His shirt and pants joined hers on the floor,
leaving him clad in a very form-fitting pair of black cotton boxer-briefs. She
let her eyes run over him, appreciating every line and dip and curve. His
muscles were still well-defined, not going soft as happened to a lot of men in
their thirties. Whether through work or a gym, he had the physique that made
Cecile weak in the knees.

She sat down in
a large, plush chair, keeping her gaze locked on him as she stretched her legs
wide, draping each one over an arm of the chair. She knew the pale gray crotch
of her panties was dark with her juices and ran her hand down over her stomach
to the juncture between her legs to draw Anthony's attention there.

“Want a taste?”
Her voice was low, but it easily carried through the otherwise silent
apartment.

Anthony didn't
answer, but instead crossed the room in two quick strides and dropped to his
knees between her open legs. He pulled aside the crotch of her panties,
exposing her wet and glistening folds to his heated gaze. He stared for a moment
and then leaned down. The first swipe of his tongue made Cecile gasp. He
attacked her pussy with the same eagerness and ferocity with which he'd
plundered her mouth, his tongue working its way into every crevice. Her back
arched as pleasure rocked her body and she heard herself call out his name. She
tried to keep her eyes open, the sight of his head between her legs turning her
on more than she'd thought possible, but every swipe of his tongue made her
eyelids flutter.

When he took her
clit between his lips and began to suck, Cecile swore, her entire body
shuddering. She grabbed his head, digging her fingers into his short hair as
she held him against her. He didn't fight her hold, instead he tried to force
his tongue even deeper inside her, the strong muscle moving over her quivering
walls.

“Oh, fuck,” she
groaned. “Oh, yes! Yesss!” The word hissed from between her clenched teeth as
she came. She ground her pussy against his mouth, riding out every last
exquisite drop of pleasure he was able to provide.

Her legs were
still shaking when she yanked on his hair, pulling him towards her. She thrust
her tongue between his lips, tasting herself in his mouth. She sucked his
tongue into her mouth, the gentle pressure drawing a primal growl from deep
within him. His hands moved up her body to her breasts, cupping and squeezing
the soft mounds in their silk prison.

He leaned back,
looking down at her with eyes almost black. She knew that look, had seen it on
other men. It was full of desire and promise, a promise that not all of them
could fulfill. She certainly hoped Anthony would be among those who could. She
really did like him.

“You're
beautiful,” Anthony said as he twisted a long lock of hair around his finger.

“So are you.”
Cecile smiled as she returned the compliment. “But you haven't gotten to see
the full picture.” She reached behind her and flicked open the clasp of her
bra.

Anthony
carefully hooked his fingers under the sides of the garment but didn't remove
it. “I've been dreaming about these tits – ” he flushed “–breasts, from the
moment you walked into Delancy's.”

Cecile ran her
tongue along her bottom lip. She could still taste the salt from his kiss.
“Well, I can tell you this much, my tits are much better than any fantasy you
could come up with.” She chose her words carefully. She didn't want him holding
back for fear of offending her. When it came to sex, her tastes ran a bit
rougher, cruder, than most people imagined.

Anthony tossed
aside her bra, his face darkening with appreciation as he looked at her.
“You're right. They are.” His hands began to move across her soft flesh, his
rough skin sending shivers through her. Even as large as his hands were, they
couldn't completely cover her large breasts. “Absolutely beautiful tits.”

Cecile reached
up and lightly touched his lips. When he parted them, she slipped her finger
into the wet heat of his mouth. “There's no need to be gentle. I told you, I
want you to fuck me. It's been way too long since I've had a good lay.”

Her finger slid
out of his mouth. “I'll take that challenge.” He grinned and lowered his head
to her breasts.

Cecile moaned as
Anthony's mouth played over her breasts. He pulled skin into his mouth,
dragging blood to the surface as he sucked. His fingers began to manipulate her
nipples, rolling and tugging, the pressure slowly increasing. When he began to
twist the sensitive flesh, she writhed, delighting in the little pinpricks of
near-pain that radiated through her.

“Yes, oh shit,
yes!” She squirmed.

Anthony covered
her nipple with his mouth. The first draw made Cecile's back arch, the second
made her cry out. He flicked his tongue across the tip before taking it gently
between his teeth. He pulled back, bringing the wrinkled nub out into a point.
Cecile's hands flexed on the arms of the chair, her fingernails scraping over
the cloth. When Anthony moved from one breast to the other, cool air caressed
her wet skin and she shivered.

“More teeth,”
she demanded. Pressure was building inside her again and she needed just a
little more to send her over the edge. “Suck it, bite it. Make my nipples
sore.”

If her words
shocked Anthony, they didn't prevent him from doing as she said. His mouth
clamped down and Cecile let out a sound like a strangled sob. His fingers
twisted her nipple even as his teeth worried at her flesh. When he bit down,
she swore, her body going rigid as an orgasm raced along her nerves, fueled by
the nearly painful pleasure of his ministrations.

While she was
still basking in the afterglow, he leaned back. She heard the unmistakable sound
of a foil wrapper being ripped open. That surprised her a bit. She'd gotten the
impression that he came from a fairly devout Catholic family. Not that she
minded. She was on the pill, but she never fucked anyone without protection.
She hadn't found anyone she trusted that much. Not yet anyway.

She opened her
eyes. She wanted to see him. Anthony was watching her as she let her eyes drop
to where he'd freed his cock. He slowly stroked himself as he rolled the condom
over his thick shaft and Cecile licked her lips. He was long and thick, flushed
with blood.

“You know how
you said that you wanted to fuck me on the balcony?” Cecile reached down and
pulled aside the soaked crotch of her panties. “Well I've got something I'd
like to add to that little fantasy.” She slid her middle finger into her pussy,
pumping it in and out a few times as she spoke. “While we're out there, before
you fuck me, I'm going take you in my mouth, lick you from top to bottom. I'm
going to suck you until you're ready to burst, until you have to  take your
time eating me out just to keep from cumming right away.”

“I'll remember
that.” He parroted her words back to her.

Cecile removed
her finger from her pussy and raised her hand to her mouth. With deliberate
slowness, she slid it between her lips. She kept her eyes locked with his as
she hollowed out her cheeks and sucked her juices from her finger. She was
still licking herself clean when Anthony moved forward.

The head of his
cock nudged at her entrance and he hesitated, giving her the chance to back
out. While she appreciated the gesture, Cecile's patience was wearing thin. She
needed him inside her. “Fuck me.”

Anthony's hips
snapped forward.

“Fuck!” Cecile
cried out as he filled her. She was wet, but tight and Anthony was far from small.
Her pussy stretched around him, her body straining to accommodate the sudden
intrusion. Anthony didn't give her the time to adjust, immediately drawing back
only to slam forward again.

“Fuck, yes!
Fuck, yes!” This was what she'd been missing. The way two bodies surged and
moved together, giving and taking in equal measure. The sound of skin against
skin. The heat of another body instead of cool rubber or personal body-heat.
“Harder, Anthony! Fuck me harder!”

Anthony drove
the air from her lungs as he pounded into her, his own breath coming in grunts.
The muscles in his neck and arms bulged as he drove his cock into her again and
again. Every stroke hit deep inside her, the angle at which she was splayed
allowing Anthony to fill every inch of her. The head of his cock bumped against
the end of her, sending little jolts through her system, giving her body yet
another sensation to process.

“So...
fucking... hot...” Anthony panted. He splayed his hand on Cecile's stomach,
using his thumb to brush over her clit.

Cecile let out a
soundless scream as she came. Her body shook, every muscle tightening, and
still Anthony continued to thrust into her, forcing his swollen cock between
her spasming walls. His thumb continued to rub her clit, flooding her body with
too much sensation, too much stimulation. And then, just before it tipped over
the peak from pleasure to pain, Anthony's hips jerked and he called out her
name as he came. He stayed where he was for a moment, drawing in deep draughts
of air.

She twitched as
his cock slipped out of her well-used pussy. She could already feel the ache
setting in and welcomed it. She loved getting fucked hard enough to feel it for
days. Anthony sat back on his heels, his skin glistening with sweat. She
lowered her legs, her hip joints sending a wave of relief through her.

“Wow.” Anthony
stared at her. “That was – ”

“Yeah,” Cecile
agreed. She adjusted her panties, grimacing at the wet fabric. That was going
to suck when she put on her pants; definitely one of the negatives of pants
versus a skirt. She stood, steadying herself when she found her legs a little
more wobbly than she'd expected. She bent down to get her bra, catching a
glimpse of her marked flesh. She was going to have to watch the neckline on
whatever she wore over the next few days.

“You don't have
to go.” Anthony got to his feet. He gave Cecile a roguish grin. “Give me
fifteen minutes and something to drink, and we can go another round.”

“Sorry.” Cecile
truly meant it. She gave him an appreciative once over. Even soft, his cock was
impressive. “If I stayed here, I have a feeling I wouldn't be getting much
sleep, and I do have to work tomorrow.” She zipped up her pants and pulled on
her shirt.

“Really?”
Anthony raised an eyebrow. “And what work might that be?”

And there it
was. She tugged on her boots, using them as an excuse to avoid looking at
Anthony as she avoided the question. “Call me and we'll go out again.” She did
look at him then. “This was amazing, Anthony.”

He nodded and
didn't press the question. He pulled on his jeans and slipped on his shoes.
“Let me walk you out. I'll help you get a cab.”

“You don't need
to do that,” Cecile protested.

Anthony's tone
was serious. “Yes, I do.” One corner of his mouth twitched up. “Besides, how
else will I get a good-night kiss?”

Cecile hadn't
slept very much, but she still felt wide awake the next morning. By the time
she'd gotten cleaned up and into bed, it had been late, but she'd been unable
to stop herself from going over each delicious detail of her night. The way
Anthony had smiled when she'd told him how good the food was. How right it had
felt when he'd taken her hand, how natural. The way her body had responded when
they'd kissed. How perfectly they'd fit together, two halves of the same whole.

When she'd
finally drifted off, it had been Anthony's dark eyes she'd seen. They'd still
been on her mind when she woke up ten minutes before her alarm went off. She
laid there for a few minutes, just staring at the ceiling and basking in the
aftereffects of her night of passion. Her muscles felt like jello, and the
memory of Anthony's touch made her skin hum. Her pussy was throbbing in a good
way, aching with every movement. She was going to feel it at work today, but
she wasn't regretting it at all. Not only had she finally scratched the itch
she'd had for months, but she had a feeling that she'd found something more
than just a good – all right, a great – lay.

She was still
grinning when she walked into the precinct a half hour later. She looked just
as professional as the day before, but today she felt different. There was just
something about knowing that underneath her crisp white shirt, her breasts bore
the marks of Anthony's mouth. It was delightfully... naughty, for lack of a
better word, like the thrill she got from not wearing panties beneath a slinky
dress. When she'd first entered the police academy, she'd had a friend who'd
said that Cecile liked being a cop because she enjoyed a good thrill. She'd
been offended at first, saying that she wanted to help people, but as she'd
gotten older, she realized that while her primary reason for becoming a cop was
to protect and serve, Toby had been at least partially right. The edge of
danger did appeal to her.

“MacDouglas,
right?” A voice pulled Cecile from her thoughts.

“Most people
just call me C.” She turned to face the detective who was standing by the
coffee pot. She didn't really love the nickname, but it had been what her
department back home had called her. It was easier to say in a hurry than
MacDouglas, so it had stuck.

“So, C, how're
you finding life in the big city? Different than your little town back home?”

Cecile was
fairly sure his name was Fredericks. He looked about her age, maybe a little
older, but his cocky attitude said that he thought he had a lot to offer. Guys
like him always annoyed her.

She gave him a
saccharine smile. “I'm finding it quite... satisfying.” She stepped around
Fredericks to head to the desk she'd been assigned. “Though there are some
aspects that are,” she pointedly flicked her eyes over the man “smaller than
I'd anticipated.”

Before
Fredericks could respond, an older detective approached. “Fredericks, the
captain wants to see you. Something about a problem with your paperwork on your
DeLuca bust.”

Cecile instantly
froze. Had he just said DeLuca? Her stomach churned.

“Dammit,”
Frederick growled.

“Come on, kid,
we've told you a million times, when you try to take down a DeLuca, you better
have everything perfect. That lawyer they got will tear the case apart if you
miss so much as one letter.” The older man, Otto something or other, had the
world-weary tone of one who'd seen too many criminals go free.

As Frederick
walked away, Cecile's paralysis broke. She had to know. Surprising herself at
how casual she sounded, she asked, “What's that all about?”

Otto sighed.
“The DeLuca's is one of the city's crime families. They don't do drugs or
prostitution, at least not overtly, but they have their fingers in some other
pies. Gambling, money laundering, some black market stuff and even a bit of
smuggling. Organized crime's been trying to take them down for years, but can't
ever get anything to stick. Every once in a while, we bust one of the cousins
and once we got Val DeLuca, but all they got to do is call Silvia Moretti. She
doesn't lose, not with her family.”

“Moretti?”
Cecile said. “I thought you said it was the DeLuca family.” Maybe this was just
a coincidence. DeLuca was a common enough name.

Otto nodded.
“Three of four siblings run the family. Marco, Ciro and Silvia. The fourth
didn't want the life; he died some years back.”

Cecile suddenly
found it hard to breath.

“For the most
part, the family's all their kids. Cousins aren't really kept close. Some of
them even married into other families. Only one involved in the major stuff
who's not the kid of one of the head three is the son of the one who died.”
Otto leaned against Cecile's desk. “Anthony's one of their enforcers. Tough
bastard.”

She could feel
the blood draining from her face and fought to keep her expression blank. The
last thing she needed was Otto asking why she looked so horrified. That wasn't
a conversation she wanted to be having.

“Rumor has it he
keeps himself pretty clean. Maybe busts a few heads, but nothing serious.
Probably because his little brother's a Fed.”

“Otto, you gonna
stand around running your mouth all night or are you gonna actually do some
work?” Lieutenant Day called out from his office.

Otto gave Cecile
a tight smile. “Don't worry, you won't be going up against mob types directly.
Day'll probably have you working the street for your first couple months.”

Cecile nodded,
barely noticing as the detective left. She stayed in her seat for a few
minutes, then quickly headed for the restroom. She couldn't let anyone think
that her sudden need to be alone had anything to do with what she'd just been
told. While she doubted they'd be able to guess the reason she was upset,
whatever reason they did assume wouldn't be good for her career.

She barely made
it into the stall before the tears started. How could she have been so wrong?
She prided herself on her discernment when it came to people. It was one of the
things that made her a good cop. She'd never misjudged someone so much. Had she
been so eager for sex, so eager to make a connection, that she'd ignored the
warning signs?

Even as she
thought it, her mind flashed back through her time with Anthony and, other than
him not talking about work, she couldn't think of a single action that should
have made her suspicious. Maybe she hadn't been too foolish. Maybe he was just
that good. And that thought made her sad. If he could be a good enough liar to
convince her that he wasn't a criminal, had anything between them been true?

It didn't take
her long regain her composure well enough to return to her desk. Another thing
that made her a good cop was her ability to compartmentalize, separate her
personal feelings from the job. She'd deal with the repercussions later. At the
moment, she had other work to do.

By keeping her
focus on her work, Cecile was able to make it through the first part of the
day. When it came time to go to lunch, however, she decided that she didn't
want to wait until after her shift was done to make a break of it. She needed
it done and over with so she could move on. After all, it had only been one
date and one fuck. It wasn't like they'd been seriously involved or anything.

She continued
telling herself that as she headed towards a different bar than the one where
she'd met Anthony. A handful of questions from various colleagues had led her
to the DeLucas main place of business, a slightly seedy-looking bar called
Rizzo's.

She paused at
the door, then took a deep breath and entered. It took her eyes a moment to
adjust and then she saw him in one of the back booths. He was sitting alone,
but the tables behind him had half a dozen men who looked enough like him for
her to assume they were related. The bar was empty enough that she hadn't
gotten more than a few steps before he looked up and saw her. Myriad emotions
flashed across his face. Surprise. Guilt. Relief. Happiness.

The last one was
like a punch in the gut. How could he look so pleased to see her when he'd
hidden this from her?

“Cecile.” He
stood and walked towards her, meeting her halfway. “How'd you know I was here?”
He started to reach towards her and she took a step back. The hurt expression
on his face almost made her change her mind.

Almost.

“I know who you
are, Anthony,” she said. “I know what you do.”

“Let me
explain,” he started to say. “It's not as bad as you think.”

“No,” she cut
off his explanation. She knew that if she let him talk, she'd start to
rationalize it to herself and she couldn't let that happen. This had to end.
She couldn't be involved with a criminal. “It's done. Don't call me. Don't try
to see me.”

“Cecile.” His
voice betrayed his confusion. “Is this about last night?” He lowered his voice.
“Did I hurt you?”

She shook her
head. “No, nothing like that.”

“Then is it you
regretting that we slept together on the first date?”

He looked so
honestly bewildered that Cecile's heart twisted. “No, Anthony. I don't regret
what we did.” That was only true in part. The only part of the previous night
that she regretted was what he was. Her action in and of themselves wouldn't
have given her a moment's pause.

“Then what's
wrong? What did I do?”

She had to get
out of here or her resolve was going to crumble. There was only one thing that
she knew of that would convince him that this would never work. She pitched her
voice so low that she knew he'd have to strain to hear it. “I'm a cop,
Anthony.”

She knew he heard
her when she saw the color drain from his face and anger spark in his eyes. She
hurried to explain, partially because she hated the thought of him being mad at
her, but also because she didn't want a room full of criminals to know what she
was. “I was just assigned to vice so I didn't want to say anything to you
because I didn't know if I'd be undercover somewhere or not. I didn't know who
you were until I went to work today and they were talking about you.”

“Talking about
me?” Anthony's voice was barely a whisper and Cecile couldn't tell if it was
from shock, anger or both.

“One of the guys
said something about someone named DeLuca being arrested. I asked about it and
one of them told me about your family. About what you do.” Cecile folded her
arms under her breasts. This was harder than it should have been. “And you
can't be pissed that I didn't tell you that I was a cop. You didn't tell me
what you did either.”

Anthony laughed,
a bitter sound that made Cecile wince. “How would that conversation have gone,
Cecile? 'Hi, I'm Anthony and I'm an enforcer with a crime family'? I know what
I am and I know who I work for.”

“And I know who
I am and who I work for, Anthony.” Her voice was soft. “I'm sorry, believe me,
I am, but I can't be with you.”

Before she could
change her mind and before Anthony could say or do anything that would make her
second guess her decision, Cecile turned and walked out of the bar.