and Camarco’s will always be powerful in Vita whether there’s peace or not. Regardless of the war, we’re too rich and powerful not to be. There will always be a need for a head of each family.”
“You’re talking in circles again. Tell me what you don’t want me to hear.”
“It’s a possibility we’d have to kill our fathers and take their places, setting our own paths.”
When she sits up, I’m quick to join her. “You’d be able to do that? Kill your father?” she asks, the words clogging in her throat.
Not only is it something I know I can do, it’s something I’ve fantasised about doing often. “Yes. How would you feel if we had to end your father’s life?”
“I wouldn’t cry at his grave, if that’s what you want to hear, but I don’t want to pull the trigger myself.”
Sliding my hand around the back of her neck, I make sure she’s focused on me.
“I would never put that responsibility on you.”
Her eyes seek something from mine, stares intently at me for far too long.
“You’ve known we’d have to kill them all along, didn’t you?”
“I’ll never lie to you, Mila. Yes, I did. Our mothers would come to learn to harbour peace for our sakes. The men who work for our fathers would learn to work for us and follow our lead. It’ll all take time, but it will all fall into place. And Mila, the best part about it is, we’ll be together.”
When her lips stretch into a wide grin, relief surges through me. She’s not running away or upset at the prospect of having to kill her father. Skimming her fingers along my jawline, and I push her down onto her back and slip between her legs, making sure to keep my weight off of her.
She’s like a fragile flower beneath me, but you only have to look in her eyes to know she’s much stronger than she looks.
Weaving her fingers into my hair, she pulls me down and kisses me hungrily. Our tongues start to dance, and I grind my hips against her, needing some relief from the erection she’s brought on.
She moans into my mouth, giving me undeniable thoughts of what I want to do with her, and then hating myself because I know I won’t follow through under an old oak tree on her father’s land. When I take her, I want it to be special for her. I may not follow every rule set out for me, but I’m not going to break her rules. There are going to be times in the near future when she’ll question her actions under the watchful eye of the Lord. But living in Vita, there are certain acts that will always be forgiven, though taking her virginity before our wedding night is not one of them.
“I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you. It makes me feel so needy and greedy.”
“Trust me, you’re not alone. This is killing me,” I groan into her neck, struggling to catch my breath.
“Have you felt this before, with another girl?”
Looking down at her, her determination to know overrides her shyness, and I’m glad I won’t have to lie to her.
“Never. I’ve felt things, being a guy and all, but this hunger I have for you is new to me.”
Hearing this makes her happy. She raises her hips and presses against me.
“How is it we both want peace for thousands of people, but you make me want to sin?”
Laughing, I roll onto my side and bring her with me, placing her firmly against my chest.
“Once we’re married, it won’t be a sin. I won’t let anything get in our way of being together.”
I hate wearing tuxedos. The collar is always too stiff and tight, making me feel like I’m suffocating. Tugging at the bow tie, my mother rolls her eyes and shakes her head.
“Leave it be, Raphael.”
“It’s too tight,” I moan, tugging at it one last time.
My father plucks a cigar from his jacket pocket and proceeds to clip the end and light it up. My mother looks beautiful in her silver sequined dress, and now she’s going to reek of cigar smoke.
“Listen to your mother. Anything less than perfection is unacceptable,” my father grunts, puffing on the thick brown stick.
When he fills the limo with white smoke, I push the button to open the window halfway.
The breeze helps as I watch the streets pass us by on our way across town to the mayor’s mansion.