Amapola Part 2

Salvatore could only be going crazy; there was no other explanation. After the show we put on the dance floor, he dragged me out of the venue without even saying goodbye to anyone.

I realized that if I refused or opposed leaving at that moment, he would likely throw me over his shoulder and carry me out anyway.

“You're crazy,” I said, smiling as we reached the door of the place where the event was happening. I suspected Amadeu had already left to get the car.

“Crazy for you, mi amore,” he said, still not stopping his quick pace.

“Slow down, or I'm going to fall with these heels,” I tried to balance and keep up with him while one of my hands held the hem of my dress off the ground and my feet, also preventing a fall.

“Don't let that stop you, mia bella.” I let out a small scream when he lifted me off the ground and carried me in his arms to the car that had just parked in front of us. “I’m in a hurry.”

“Where are we going?”

“To nostra casa,” he said calmly.

“My dad, he's going to worry.” I tried to justify, but deep down, I knew I wanted to avoid being alone with him. How could I think rationally with him so close to me?

“Don't worry; I already warned him.”

“What? When? How?”

“Earlier today, as soon as you left with Marco, I was at your house. I warned him that you would be sleeping with me.”

“And who said I would?” I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow, challenging him.

“I’m willing to use all my persuasion, mio amore, to make sure that tonight you are mine,” he said, leaning closer like a feline about to pounce on its prey. I felt his hand wrap around my neck and his fresh breath brush against my skin, sending shivers down my spine.

“That’s the problem, Salvatore,” I whispered in a hushed voice as his lips slowly traveled across my skin without really touching anywhere; only his breath reached me, but I felt as if he were touching my whole body. “I can’t bear to be yours for one night and see you leave at dawn.”

“And who said I would?” he asked in a husky voice.

“I know you can’t stay.”

“But I can take you with me, Amah, sarai mia per sempre.”

“To be your prisoner again?”

“Mia moglie.”

“What did you say?” I asked, trying to confirm if I heard what I thought.

“Let’s go inside, amore mio; we’ll talk in there,” he said as Amadeu opened the car door. I hadn’t even realized we had made the entire journey.

That’s how it was when I was with Salvatore; he enveloped me in a haze of sensations, making me completely lose track of time and space.

We entered the castle, and I admired it as I did the first time I was here; there was no way to feel differently in the face of such beauty.

“Shall we?” Salvatore called my attention.

“Where to?”

“To the bedroom,” he stated, raising an eyebrow at me.

“Calm down.” I extended my palms forward and closed my eyes, seeking control. “Look, we need to talk, and I don’t think the bedroom is the ideal place for that.”

“Mia bella, whether we’re in the bedroom, dining room, office, library, kitchen, or even the bathroom, it wouldn’t make any difference, amore mio. I’d grab you and be as close to you as possible, so I figured the bedroom would be more comfortable,” he explained as if he wasn’t saying anything out of the ordinary.

“Please, Salvatore, understand my side; don’t make things even harder for me,” I pleaded.

“Va bene, let’s sit here, then.” He sat on the stairs, making it even clearer that it hardly mattered where we were; it was impossible for us to remain distant.

I walked carefully until I was sitting next to him, but in the next instant, my mouth was pressed against his.

“I’m sorry, amore mio, but I’m trying to lessen the longing from being away from you for so long,” he justified the kiss, and I ended up giving in because I considered it better to be in the bedroom, or someone might catch us in an embarrassing moment right here, so I called him to go upstairs.

When Salvatore opened the door to the bedroom we had shared a long time ago, I was breathless; he had asked them to decorate everything with red sheets, rose petals, and candles. The place looked like it had come out of a movie scene.

“Salvatore,” I whispered, admiring the place. There was a table set for dinner; on the terrace, there was a bucket of ice with wine glasses along with some fruits and cheeses. He thought of everything.

“Come here, Amapola.” He took my hand, leading me to the terrace.

“We need to talk.”

“I know, mia bella; just don’t stay too far away from me, per favore.”

“I’m not distant, Salvatore; I just can’t think clearly being so close to you.”

“Va bene, amore mio, va bene.” He ran his hands through his hair in exasperation. “I want you to know that what you saw, all that crap with Carlota, was a setup; I was drugged.”

“I know, Salvatore; I was there when you showed the video to the capos.”

“And yet you left me,” he stated, distressed. “I lived hell these months, Amapola, but I’ll let you go if that’s truly your will; you told me things I know are true. I know I don’t deserve you, that my corrupted world doesn’t belong to you, but since I’m a fucking selfish man, I came back, once again for you, for us.” His eyes didn’t blink as he stared at me.

“Everything I said was precise because I knew you wouldn’t pull away from me so easily.”

“Smart.”

“I learned from the best.” I smiled. “This time we spent apart was, in a way, good, Salvatore. I realized that being with you only when we were alone wasn’t doing me any good. Every day I woke up wondering if it would be our last day together, knowing everyone was pressuring you to formalize the marriage, and I wouldn’t be and couldn’t be your mistress; that’s why I left, Salvatore. I understand your position and your obligations, and mainly, I understand that the mafia has traditions that must be followed. So, to protect myself and preserve my physical and mental health, I preferred to let you go.”

“I would never make you my mistress, Amapola; don’t think so low of me. Everything I said, everything I felt was true.”

“Still, it’s not enough.”

“I can’t abandon my position, amore mio; I was trained for this since I was born, but if you want, I’m willing to change the rules, alter the game, and make you mia moglie.”

“How so? You know they wouldn’t accept; I’m nobody.”

“You are Amapola, you are l'amore della mia vita, and being the head of all this crap has to mean something when I need it, doesn’t it?” A discreet smile played on his lips.

“I don’t know if it would work out, and I’m not willing to risk it again.”

“I’ll make sure it works, mia bella.” He brought his hands to my hair, tucking a strand behind my ear. “I’ll kill anyone who tries to interfere with us. Look at me, amore mio.” He lifted my face so our eyes could meet. “I promise to make you the happiest woman in the world; you are the only one in my life, and it will always be that way.”

“Salvatore,” I whispered his name, amazed by his words, and he took my mouth with eagerness, hunger, and care. I simply let him take everything he needed and desired from me, just as I did with him.

I cast aside all my fears and anxieties and threw myself into his arms again. I loved this man with all my strength, and the kiss this time had no trace of fear; I was once again surrendering to Salvatore; after all, I was irrevocably his.

The kiss grew increasingly voracious, the desire we had held back in those months surfacing, sweeping away the calm that surrounded us at that moment, swift as fire racing through gunpowder. Salvatore brought our bodies together in an even more intense connection than all the other times we had been together.

Salvatore kissed my breasts, worshiped my entire body, and when I finally had him inside me again, the sensations that took over me multiplied with every thrust, every beat of his body against mine. We were perfect together, and I wanted this connection not just for that night or the next few days; I wanted it to last a lifetime.

“Ti amo, amore mio,” Salvatore said when my whole body began to vibrate in a perfect harmony and connection.

“Ti amerò per sempre, Salvatore.” Our moans intertwined as our eyes conveyed much more than those simple words could express.

“Sposami, amore mio?”

“What did you say?”

“Marry me, Amapola Beviláqua, be mine forever,” he repeated, and I froze in place.

“Are you joking?”

“I’ve never been more serious in my life.”

“But what about my life? Everything I’ve built here.”

“I’ll take everything wherever you want, my love, but come back with me, be mia moglie.” He was still on top of my body, still connected by our bodies, but beyond that, there was a soul connection