STORY EXCERPT

Lany

"I want a divorce."

My heart stuttered in my chest as I stared at Sal. For a moment, I wanted to laugh, but then I wanted to smack him. "That's not even nice to joke about, Sal."

"I'm serious, Lany. I've already packed my stuff and moved it out."

I shouldn't have believed a word Sal said. We'd been married for years. We had six kids. We'd built a life together. There was no way he'd divorce me.

I still couldn't keep from scanning the room. I started to frown as I realized I couldn't spot anything of Sal's in the bedroom. None of his clothes littered the floor. There was no coffee cup on the nightstand, no watch, not holster hanging near the bedroom door. I couldn't even see any of his shoes sticking out from under the dresser.

"Sal, what—" I gasped when Sal tossed a large manila envelope at me. I caught it before it fell to the floor. "What is this?"

"Divorce papers," Sal snapped. His voice was cold, bitter, a tone I had never heard aimed at me before. "I've already signed them. All you need to do is sign them and send them to my lawyer. He'll file them after that."

"Sal, I don't—" I couldn't breathe. "I don't want a divorce."

I loved Sal, adored him. He was my reason for breathing. He owned my soul. Nothing on Earth could ever convince me to divorce the man.

"What you want is no longer my concern."

I whimpered as daggers stabbed me in the chest. Sal had never spoken to me like this.

I didn't like it.

"The kids, Sal."

Sal nodded. "I want joint custody, but I think they should stay here with you for now. Their lives will be chaotic as it is with me moving out and all. It's important for them to have something familiar. We can work out a visitation schedule through my lawyer."

Sal grabbed his jacket off the end of the bed and laid it over his arm before looking at me once again. "I'm giving you the estate. I don't want it."

"Sal—"

"I'd prefer all future correspondence to go through my lawyer. I want no further contact with you."

I was dying. That was the only explanation for the agony exploding through every part of my body. "Why are you doing this?" I whispered. Tears flooded my eyes then spilled down my cheeks. "I love you, Sal. Whatever is wrong—"

"Whatever is wrong?" Sal snarled.

I stumbled back when he stormed toward me. I had never been afraid of Salvador Delvecchio a day in my life…until that very second.

"What is wrong is that you're a conniving, backstabbing little bitch and I've just been too dumb to see it before now."

I had always been able to see the love and adoration in Sal's copper colored eyes when he looked at me. This time, when his gaze scorched down my body, I felt like hiding.

"I don't know what—" I whimpered and turned my head when Sal leaned in close to me. I could feel his warm breath blow out across my cheeks.

"You should get a medal. You're very good at fooling people. I know I bought your innocent act for years. I'm just surprised you were able to keep up the pretense for so long."

Sal's fingers threaded through the hair at the nape of my neck before fisting. I winced when he pulled my head back, pulling at the smaller hairs. "So sexy. So innocent. How many men have had you, Lany? Ten? Twenty? A hundred?"

What?

"Sal, I would never—"

Sal's upper lip curled back in a snarl. "You think I believe anything that comes out of your mouth? You've been lying to me since the moment we met. Was that even a coincidence, or did you plan for me to find you in that bar?"

Sal's gaze swept over me, making my skin crawl. This wasn't the way it was supposed to be. We were married, through good times and bad. We had made a commitment to each other. I wasn't supposed to feel like my skin was peeling off when Sal looked at me.

"Sal, please."

"You beg so nicely, Lany. It's an art form for you, isn't it?" Sal's eyes flashed with something I couldn't read, and frankly, I didn't want to. It was very dark. "I loved you so much. I would have happily given my very last breath for you, and you…it was all just some game for you, wasn't it?"

Sal's fingers tightened in my hair.

"What was it you were after, Lany? Why play your game for so long?" Sal's eyes narrowed. "Or was it just that you can only stay faithful for so long before you give in to your need to fuck anything with a pulse? Is that it? You tried the whole monogamy thing and found out it wasn't for you?"

I swallowed tightly before replying, "I have never been unfaithful to you."

Why would I? Sal was everything I had ever wanted.

Sal snorted. "Still playing the game, Lany?"

"No, I—"

"I didn't believe it at first. We've been married for years. I couldn't believe that the man I promised to spend eternity with would fuck around on me, but the clues just kept stacking up. First it was the pictures then the videotapes. I thought they had to be fakes, that someone was fucking with me, but Burke sent them to his forensics lab and had them authenticated."

"What pictures?" I asked. "What videotapes?"

What in the hell was Sal talking about?

"But it was just you fucking with me all these years." Sal pushed me back until I hit the wall, putting space between us. "Well, I'm onto your little game now, Lany, and I don't want to play it anymore. Go find some other stupid bastard to play with." Sal let out a bitter laugh that chilled me down to my soul. "Oh wait, you've already done that."

Sal picked his jacket up off the floor and draped it over his arm again. I hadn't even realized he'd dropped it. He walked over to stand next to the bedroom door. "Tell everyone else whatever you want to about the divorce, but for the kids' sake, I listed irreconcilable differences in the divorce papers. No one but us needs to know what a faithless bastard you are."

"Don't do this, Sal. Whatever is going on, we can work it out." I couldn't let him walk out the door without trying to save my marriage. I wasn't sure I could survive without Sal. "Please, Sal. If our marriage ever meant anything to you, don't—"

Sal snorted. It was a very rude sound.

"I've banned you from the bunkhouse and blocked you on my cell phone. If there's an emergency with one of the kids, either send a message through my lawyer or your uncle. Other than that, I don't want to hear from you, see you, or receive any type of communication from you."

I wrapped my arms around my waist when Sal's gaze raked over me once again. I had never felt more exposed or bruised as I did in that moment.

"As far as I am concerned, you're dead to me."

ADULT EXCERPT

My lips were covered, the rest of my words stolen right along with my breath. One of Sal's arms wrapped around my waist, keeping me flush against his body. The other hand fisted my hair, keeping my head right where Sal wanted it.

I wasn't exactly complaining.

It had been so long since I'd been touched as only Sal could do. I hadn't been with anyone since Sal moved out. I took my marriage vows of eternity to heart. No one else would ever do for me.

"Sal, please," I murmured against his lips.

I needed skin.

I needed to feel him against me, inside of me.

I needed to be manhandled.

Hard.

I grabbed onto Sal when he lifted me up and stood. I almost whimpered in protest until he carried me into the largest stall in the bathroom and locked the door behind us.

I groaned with pure delight when I was slammed into the bathroom wall. This was what I had been missing. Only Sal ever treated me as if he had every right to touch me anywhere, anytime. Only he ever made me feel as if I was imperative to his continued ability to breathe.

My jacket was pushed off then my shirt was yanked up and over my head. I shuddered with need when Sal's lips latched onto my nipple. I sank my fingers into his hair to hold him in place, to keep him from moving away from me, abandoning me.

"Lany, I need…I don't have…"

I dug into my pocket and pulled out the small bottle of hand lotion I'd taken to carrying with me. When Sal's eyebrow rose, I flushed. "The cold weather," I said quickly. "It makes my hands dry."

Sal grabbed the bottle then set me on my feet. It was a race to see who could get my pants down and off my legs the quickest.

Something might have ripped.

I didn't care.

When I was spun around and my feet kicked apart, I shuddered in ecstasy. No one could ever make me feel this way. Out of control. Desperate. Needed. No one but Sal. He pushed me and shoved me and put me where he wanted me. He didn't ask. He just did as he wanted.

And I loved every second of it.

When Sal's thick finger pushed into me, my legs started to tremble. The burn wasn't surprising considering how long it had been, but it was welcome. The second finger had me catching my breath. By the time Sal slid in the third and fourth fingers, I was pushing back.

I inhaled sharply then squeezed my eyes shut when Sal pulled his fingers free, positive he was ending my bliss. I had dreamed of being in Sal's arms again for so long, I had started to wonder if I would ever see the day again, and yet here we were.

''Lany,'' Sal whispered as he turned me around.

He stroked his hand down my side until he reached the curve of my ass. Sal’s fingers slid right down between my ass cheeks, one finger tapping at my sensitive entrance.

Sal moved his other hand up under my chin and cupped my jaw, tilting my head back. I moaned when I felt Sal’s tongue swirl over my skin. There was nothing on earth as good as being loved on by my Sal.

"Lany,'' Sal whispered against as he peppered the expanse of my throat with kisses. When Sal claimed my lips, I groaned and leaned into the kiss. Kissing Sal was heavenly. Touching him was even better. The soft little moans of delight that fell from his lips as I caressed his heated skin made me harder than steel.

I stroked my hand over Sal’s chest as I kissed him. My heart tripped when I felt Sal’s nipples pebble under the palms of my hands. I twirled my fingers around one nipple, stroking the sensitive flesh until Sal was shuddering against me.

Sal moaned as he leaned toward my fingers. I laughed lightly and switched from one nipple to the other, giving it the same treatment.

"Sal." I stared at the man of my dreams with a little bit of apprehension. It had been a while since we'd had sex, a long while. It felt like an eternity. "Fuck me, Sal. I need to feel you in me."

 "I have you, caro."  Sal repositioned me while holding the base of his cock.

When the tip of his shaft touched my hole, I had to breathe out. I placed the palms of my hands on Sal’s chest as I slid down, my body slowly impaled on Sal’s hard shaft.

I had forgotten how good this felt.

''You're so tight, Lany.'' Sal braced his feet then tightened his hold as he thrust upward. I dropped my head back against the bathroom wall and just breathed once Sal’s cock was fully encased inside me.

It was a sensation I could never forget.

Sal wrapped his arms around me and began to thrust up over and over again. My head swam and my body hummed as I took pleasure in the cock pounding into me. The groan that had been building in my chest was going full speed by now. I leaned forward and captured Sal’s lips. The kiss sent new spirals of ecstasy through me.

My lips parted slightly as Sal wrapped his fingers around my bobbing cock. With just a few strokes, I could feel myself getting close to the edge of bliss. My balls drew up tight against my body. I only had moments before I flew over the edge with abandon.

I wanted Sal to go with me.

"Sal, vita mia.''

He really was my life.

The loud roar of Sal’s release flooded my ears. One thrust from Sal and my world imploded. One moment I was on the edge, savoring the exquisite feeling of having Sal’s cock balls deep inside of me. The next moment, I was crying out as shot after shot of cum splattered all over Sal’s tanned skin.