Authors: Bethany-Kris
Something inside of him said she wasn’t totally innocent.
“Like Cleopatra,” Antony explained.
“
Hmm
?”
“Cleopatra and Antony. My mother was a romantic. I was lucky I didn’t end up with Romeo for a name. She had a thing for couples who gave everything up for love.”
“Including their lives,” Cecelia mused.
“Exactly. What’s love without a little tragedy, as the saying goes. My brother got the namesake and I ended up with Antony.”
Cecelia chewed on her inner cheek, smiling in that sensual way of hers all over again. “I think I like Antony more, anyway.”
“Me, too.”
Her hand found his thigh again. “Take me dancing this weekend,
hmm
? Somewhere fun. I never get to do fun things, anymore.”
“I can do that,
Tesoro
.”
Whatever she wanted, he’d give.
“And maybe …” Cecelia trailed off with a sly hum.
“Maybe what, Cecelia?”
“This.”
She leaned up and kissed him before he’d blinked. Soft, warm lips pressed to his and that was it for him. Antony was gone. She tasted like sugar and innocence. Pureness right down to her blood and bones. His cock jerked to life under his slacks the higher her hand rose on his thigh and the harder she kissed him. Quickly, her lips parted and he took the chance to deepen the kiss for the brief moment he could.
She didn’t pull away.
Yeah, innocent.
He was going to dirty this girl up so bad.
Antony bet she’d like it.
June, 1984
Cecelia stretched over Antony’s form like a little kitten waking up from a too-long nap. He ignored the way her body felt moving on top of his, refusing to acknowledge the hard-on trying to make itself known.
“I love it out here,” Cecelia said more to herself than him.
Antony agreed. Despite hating how they were always under a microscope whenever he visited her at her parents’ home, the Catrolli family had a beautiful backyard property that stretched on for what seemed like forever.
Using his arm as a pillow, Antony propped himself up higher to get a better look at Cecelia. She had her chin resting in her palm as she watched him under those thick lashes of hers. A light breeze blew her caramel colored curls, making her even more beautiful in the daylight.
“I want a big house someday,” Cecelia told him.
Antony cocked a brow. “How big,
Tesoro
?”
“Not Catrolli big.”
“Good, because your house is huge. I get lost every time I go inside.”
“Three wings instead of four, then?” she asked sweetly.
“Oh my God, that’s … Cecelia, come on. How’re you supposed to clean something that big?”
She shrugged her dainty shoulders under her summer dress. “We can fill it, too, you know.”
That caught Antony’s attention.
“Fill it?”
“Kids.”
“Kids?”
“Ours.”
Antony grinned, thoroughly enjoying this conversation.
They had only been dating two months, but he took her out every chance he got, and whenever she was allowed. Whatever Cecelia wanted, Antony gave. Her smile was like a drug to him and just being near her was enough to calm his heart and soul.
Yeah, he
knew
.
Cecelia was his one.
That same kind of one his father said he’d find eventually.
Antony hadn’t given marriage, kids, or any of that stuff much thought before he stumbled on an angry, pretty green-eyed, brown-haired girl in her bedroom.
Now, it was all he seemed to think about.
“You move fast, Cecelia Catrolli,” Antony whispered.
“Fast enough for you, Antony?”
“Perfect.”
Cecelia smiled a blinding sight, moving up his body just enough to press her silken lips to his. Her tongue danced with his, the lingering taste of her strawberry daiquiri bursting along his taste buds. It didn’t take long at all for lust to flood his veins as his pants became uncomfortable.
“You need to stop or someone’s going to be very pissed off at what I do next,” Antony warned against her mouth.
Cecelia’s laugh was breathless. “Would you tell me what you’d do next?”
Good God
, she did not want to know.
“Tell me,” Cecelia murmured, her gaze locking with his.
“Cecelia …”
“Tell me.”
There were a dozen things he could have said. Things that would have made her shiver or words that might have given her a little insight to the craziness his mind and body experienced whenever she was near.
Oh, he could have said a lot.
Antony chose to tell her the truth. Because she should know. Cecelia was so beautiful—so, so wonderful to him—and the last thing he would ever do was hurt or use her. She deserved far more than that. Especially from him.
“I would love you,” Antony said.
Cecelia still shivered. She bit her bottom lip and shifted on him again.
“Is that all?”
“Trust me,
bella
, between us, it’d be more than enough.”
“Oh?”
“
Mmhmm
,” Antony hummed.
She winked.
“I thought you already loved me, Antony.”
“I do, but then I could show you, too.”
“You show me. I still want a big house,” Cecelia said. “Maybe a pool, too.”
“Two wings,” Antony compromised.
“Not Catrolli big?”
“No, Marcello big.”
• • •
July, 1984
“Come in and sit down, Tony,” Vinnie said, waving at the leather chair across from his desk.
Antony did as his boss demanded. “
Grazie
for seeing me today, Boss.”
Vinnie tended to take his Saturday’s to himself with little business and interaction with others. Antony understood the man’s reasons. Sometimes a person just had to be alone with no one else. Then, they could take off the boss hat, the father’s mask, and the Christian’s cloak to be just who they were for a short while.
Like a fucking recharge on life, or something.
“Sure, sure. What’d you need, anyway?” Vinnie asked.
Antony fidgeted, his leg bouncing. Nervousness was not something he was accustomed to feeling at all.
“You’re going to be at church tomorrow, right?” his boss asked.
“Of course.”
Cecelia asked him to go to her family’s church every Sunday, so Antony went. He preferred his family’s church, but he suspected going to hers benefitted her father’s view of Antony in some way.
“Good. You’re looking like you’re going to puke over there, Tony.”
He kind of felt like it, too.
“I want to marry Cecelia,” Antony blurted out.
Vinnie fell silent. Actually, the man might as well have turned to stone.
“I know it’s soon.”
“Soon?” Vinnie laughed, but it came out hollow. “God, boy, you two have only been dating for three months.”
“I adore her. I love her. Another year or five isn’t going to change that. I know what I want and I’m pretty sure she wants the same thing, Boss.”
Vinnie sighed heavily, rubbing circles into his temples. “Well, better to have one now then two close together, I suppose.”
Antony’s head jerked up.
Was it really going to be that easy?
“Whatever, kid. Marry her.”
“Really?” Antony asked, still unsure and unsettled.
Vinnie shrugged. “Listen, Cecelia has never given me problems like her sister. She’s a good girl and while I still wonder about you sometimes, she could do worse. I might as well set her up with someone that knows he’s gotta keep his fucking nose clean, right? Besides, Cecelia knows her place.
“She’ll make a good little mob wife. She’ll turn her cheek like her
mamma
does and pretend like she doesn’t know what you’re doing with other women. Yeah, marry her. I’ve wanted some
bambinos
to spoil.”
Jesus Christ.
“I’m faithful to Cecelia,” Antony said, wanting the man to know.
Vinnie nodded. “Sure you are. Just like I am to my wife, kid.”
The anxiety Antony felt earlier trickled out of his system, leaving disgust and anger behind. He barely held himself back from telling Vinnie that Cecelia was worth more than being just any man’s wife. That she was meant to be
Antony’s
wife for a reason.
Antony understood why his girl despised this man.
It just sucked that he was also Antony’s Don.
Rules.
His whole goddamn life was surrounded by them.
• • •
“Oh my God,” Cecelia whispered holding her hand out again and letting the sunrays catch the diamond on her hand again. “It’s beautiful.”
Antony grinned, happy she was pleased with his pick for an engagement ring. Between them, Cecelia was the one with all the elegance. Antony was a black suit, black shoe kind of man. Cecelia was the colorful, stylish one. She was even majoring in design.
Somehow, he picked the right goddamn ring.
Antony suspected because it came from him, that’s why she liked it the most.
Didn’t matter. He’d take it.
“That’s a yes, then?” Antony whispered in her ear from behind.
“That’s a huge
yes
,” Cecelia said, sighing as he kissed her neck.
“Turn around,
bella donna
, so I can kiss you properly.”
She did as he demanded, spinning in his arms before crushing her mouth to his. Antony reveled in the heat of her mouth and the silkiness of her lips moving against his. He adored the way this woman kissed him. It was like with a single press of her mouth and the tangle of their tongues, she owned him.
Yeah, he was so fucking in love with Cecelia Catrolli it was ridiculous.
“That’s a yes,” Cecelia repeated as she pulled away.
Antony held her chin between his forefinger and thumb, keeping her gaze on only him. “I was given no time restraint on when,
Tesoro
.”
“Oh?”
“Nope.”
Cecelia’s demure smile widened, flashing her white teeth. There was always something wickedly sinful in her smile and he didn’t even think she realized it. It was one of the things Antony liked most about his girl.
Cecelia was sexy without trying. She wore dresses and heels, carried herself with a classy air, and always left him wanting more but never in a bad way. Honestly, they’d not been able to do much in the physical sense because she was always being chaperoned by her father’s choice of guards. Even stranger was the fact Antony didn’t mind. He’d been with women, but he didn’t mind waiting for Cecelia.
No, he didn’t mind at all.
“How about October for a wedding?” Cecelia asked.
Antony considered it. “That’s only three months away,
Tesoro
.”
“So, we can double up on classes and have it on time.”
“There’s a lot of planning that—” Antony’s words cut off as he barked a laugh. “Planning, right. You’ll have that handled, I know.”
“And my father will pay for it all.”
“No,” Antony said swiftly, wanting to shut that idea down. “I will.”
Cecelia glanced up at him, her brow furrowing. “But, fathers usually pay for their daughters to be married, Antony.”
“I’m not letting Vinnie pay me for you, Cecelia. If I let him pay for everything, that’s exactly how it would feel to me. I’ll pay for our goddamn wedding.”
She settled into his embrace. “Okay.”
Antony kissed the top of his girl’s head, holding her tighter. He couldn’t help but notice the running car in the empty lot of the park. Cecelia always loved this place and whenever they went for a walk, this was the first destination in her mind. She enjoyed the peace and quiet, and there was a small pond where ducks swam.
That car, however, always followed behind them.
“I’ll be glad when I can kiss you without a babysitter,” Antony muttered.
Cecelia laughed. “Oh, I don’t know how much kissing we’ll be doing.”
He didn’t need to be a genius to figure out her hidden meaning. His body turned hot as blood flooded his lower region.
Christ. Yeah, three months sounded perfect. Antony didn’t think he could wait any longer than that to have this woman as his wife.
“I’ll be kissing you through that, too, Cecelia.”
“You better.”
Antony smirked. “Always.”
• • •
“Cecelia!”
Antony flinched inwardly at the high pitch screech of Kate Catrolli. Instinctively, he moved Cecelia slightly behind his frame as if to protect her from her sister’s wrath.
The more time Antony spend near Kate, the worse he felt for Johnathan.
Cecelia’s fingers locked around Antony’s wrist as Kate stormed into the Catrolli family kitchen. The girl’s face was red and she huffed her anger out like a pissed off bull looking for someone to charge.
No way in hell would she go for Cecelia.
Antony wouldn’t stand for that shit.
What was her problem, anyway?
Sometimes, with Kate, it could be practically anything.
“Yes?” Cecelia asked, letting Antony go and resuming her task of mixing dough for bread.
His girl could cook. He kind of loved that about her. She was a little maniacal about it and Antony had quickly learned to let her have her space or face the consequences. Those usually came in the form of sharp words or a wooden spoon smacking down on his knuckles.
Nonetheless, Cecelia had skills.
“It’s supposed to be
me
, Cecelia!” Kate shouted.
Antony’s brow furrowed as he glanced back at his fiancée of only a couple of hours.
“What is she going on about?” he asked Cecelia too quietly for Kate to hear.
“Wait for it,” Cecelia whispered. “She’ll get there.”