Chapter 17 - Angela

“It’s the tenth dress you’ve made me try on, Melissa,” I grumbled as I stepped into the tight dress that looked more like a skimpy slip.

“And you haven’t picked a single one yet, while I already have a little pile.”

“Maybe this just doesn’t work for me. I’ve never gone shopping on my own,” I murmured, stepping out from behind the screen so I could look at myself in the mirror and hate what I saw once again.

The dress clung to my body and was far too short for what I was used to. I was almost certain someone could easily see my butt.

“You look gorgeous! Don’t you think so, Giancarlo?” she squealed excitedly, talking to the man who had brought the clothes.

“Sei bellissima!” he exclaimed, but I didn’t feel bellissima at all.

“I don’t know… it shows every curve of my body, and I’m pretty sure if I bend down, my panties will show. It even looks like the dress my father made me wear when he introduced me to…”

My voice trailed off. Marco’s words echoed in my mind the moment I even considered saying Filippo’s name—but maybe he was right, I shouldn’t keep mentioning that wretch.

“You don’t have to keep anything you don’t like. Look at all the racks—if you don’t want anything, we can visit other stores today!” she said, squeezing my shoulder affectionately before walking off to try on a pair of shoes.

The only thing I liked among everything displayed in my room was the necklace I was wearing—a teardrop-shaped diamond resting just above my chest, hanging from a delicate white gold chain. Even Melissa agreed it suited me perfectly.

I walked once more to one of the racks in the corner and chose a black silk dress with thin straps. It might look simple to Melissa—and maybe that’s why it was hanging in the most hidden spot—but it drew me in immediately.

Once behind the screen, I quickly got rid of the horrible dress and slid the delicate fabric over my body, feeling the soft texture against my skin. I stopped at my waist to undo my bra clasp—since I couldn’t wear one with that dress.

That was the kind of dress I would choose if I ever had the chance to control my own wardrobe—it was beautiful and delicate, but it didn’t cling to my body or reveal more than I wanted.

I let the bra fall to the floor, and when I lifted my eyes, I saw Marco behind me.

“Oh my God!” I exclaimed, covering my breasts as we stared at each other through the mirror. “How did you get in here? I didn’t even hear you.”

“I think you were too distracted by the dress to hear me come in,” he said, his eyes trailing down my body. “Let me help you with that.”

“I…”

I was about to refuse his help when his hands grabbed the bunched-up fabric around my waist and began pulling it upward along my body, tracing every contour of me.

“You have to take your hands off, Angel,” he murmured against my neck when he reached my breasts.

I felt my body ignite, a chill spreading through my stomach in anticipation of what would come next. Trembling, I slowly lowered my hands, letting my breasts become exposed until my arms hung by my sides.

Through the mirror, I watched Marco swallow hard as he stared at my chest before pulling the fabric up again to cover me. His hand sliding the silk over my nipples sent a wave of pleasure through my body, reaching my core, which throbbed in response.

I pressed one leg against the other and sighed, leaning further back against him—and it was impossible not to feel his hard length pressing against the curve of my butt.

“You shouldn’t… be sleeping?” I stumbled over my words as I felt the intensity of his gaze and his touch.

“I should, and I will. But I wanted to see you first,” he said calmly, locking eyes with mine in the mirror as he gently slid the straps over my shoulders, as if he hadn’t just set my body on fire. “And now I want that man out of here.”

“What?” I was confused by the sudden change of subject, but Mel seemed to catch on quickly.

“Giancarlo is gay!”

“I don’t care—he’s got two eyes and a dick. I want him away from my woman.”

He argued with Mel the same way I used to argue with my brothers. It wasn’t the Don speaking, nor the Devil of the Camorra, which was why Melissa huffed, stomping her heels back and forth.

“I’m not yours,” I said, drawing his attention back to me, keeping us trapped in that little bubble while his sister whined on the other side. “And what you just said—does it mean you’ll keep me away from every man if we get married?”

“I’ll keep you away from any man who isn’t me, my brother, or my brother-in-law until you learn how to defend yourself. After that, you can do whatever you want,” he said, tracing the necklace around my neck, sliding his fingers along my collarbone until reaching the stone between my breasts. “And it’s not a matter of if we get married, but when we get married. By then, I’m sure I’ll have taught you everything you need to know.”

“Ohh…” A low moan escaped along with my uneven breath as one of his fingers brushed against my nipple.

“Unless you want to get married tomorrow, angel.” His mouth was now against my ear, and I closed my eyes, completely lost in the moment, barely processing his words. I pressed one leg against the other, searching for relief, and Marco’s lips touched my skin, making me open my eyes. “If you want to get married soon, you should be looking at wedding dresses, don’t you think?”

I swallowed hard and stepped away from him—the words wedding dress snapped me out of the trance.

“I’d rather keep choosing regular clothes.” Marco smiled, as if he liked my answer even more than if I had simply said yes.

“I’ll leave you to your mission,” he said, stepping closer, placing a hand on my waist, and bending down dangerously near to kiss me. “I like this one in particular—you should wear it tonight. And I like the necklace too, but you should wear it on our honeymoon. I want you wearing only that.”

My cheeks burned. He didn’t seem affected at all—he just kissed my forehead and stepped back. But the erection was still visible.

“Oh my God, can’t you at least hide that?” I heard Melissa shout, and I hid my face in my hands, even though I was behind the screen.

“Take care of her, you lunatic—and you, come with me!” I didn’t need to peek to know he was dragging Giancarlo out.

“What were you two up to? I didn’t know you were already that close!” Mel appeared with a wide grin, bouncing excitedly.

“We’re not close, he just saw me… without a bra.”

“Oh, don’t be embarrassed! You two are getting married soon, I know it! Now tell me—what has he done with you already? Because I know he left here yesterday with a huge erection too.”

I wanted the ground to swallow me whole at that moment, but my embarrassment only made Melissa laugh even harder.

“We didn’t… your brother just… he kissed me.” She raised her eyebrows, clearly wanting more. “He kissed me in an intense way, and…”

I flailed my hands, and she laughed even harder, then grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the bed.

“Let’s talk about sex—I have a feeling no one has ever talked to you about it before.”