"Evangeline..." 

God! He was so handsome, so damn handsome. His voice, his eyes, his smile, his everything... All of it is mine.

He broke off eye contact to rake his burning gaze all over my body. Both of us were dressed in black. He was wearing a three-piece suit, all in black.

He walked closer until our bodies were almost touching. I looked up into his eyes and he looked down into mine...

The light breeze blew my hair back. He held my chin between his thumb and forefinger and tilted my head to the side.

"You look beautiful."

Blood rushed to my cheeks, and I blushed. "Thank you; you look incredibly handsome," I complimented him back; I couldn't help it. I needed to say these words; he needed to know how devilishly beautiful he was. If only there were enough words to describe how good-looking he was.

He dipped his head, and even in my heels, I got on my tiptoes to reach his lips. Our lips pressed together; the kiss was short and sweet; he pulled back and smiled. He took my hand in his, "Come on"

We walked to the table, and Nikolai pulled out a chair for me as I sat down, and then he went to sit opposite me.

"You did all this for me?" I asked, biting the inside of my cheek.

"For us, we hadn't had a normal day since we got married. You deserve a dinner and so much more. This is a start, Mrs. Costello. No more Grace or anyone else."

I beamed at him with excitement, "I love it."

A waiter appeared out of nowhere and poured red wine for us.

"That's not one of your cousins, is he?" I asked as the waiter went back to where he came from.

He breathed out a laugh and then shook his head. "No..."

Smiling, I took a sip of the wine and then glanced at him from over the rim of the glass. He was staring at me like he had never looked at me before.

There was something in his eyes; my face heated up. I blushed, even though I didn't want to. I shook my head. A smile cracked his face, but it did nothing to calm me down. If anything, it got me more riled up.

I tilted my head to the side and cocked an eyebrow up. "What are you smiling at?"

"You..."

"What about me?"

"You are really beautiful, Evangeline. You look nothing like them..."

A crinkle appeared between my brows. "Like who?"

He gave his head a subtle shake before the waiter re-entered and served us our dinner.

My eyes widened a bit as the waiter placed the dishes before us. For the appetizer, it was something called, sausage and stracchino cheese crostino. I have never had it before, it was delicious, toasted bread topped with cheeses, meats, and vegetables. For the main course, it was creamy pesto gnocchi and meatloaf. I ate a little bit of everything.

"This is really good."

"I'm glad you think so, I made it," he voiced, staring at me with a smile.

My lips parted with shock, I know Nikolai could cook but I didn't know he was this good, "You cooked for us?"

"Don't I always?"

"You do, but not like a four-course meal."

He just smiled. "This is what a date with Nikolai Costello looks like; better get used to it, Angel."

He seemed to have a genuine smile plastered on his face; it's not every day Nikolai Costello smiles this much and that too without malice. It was nice; I liked his smile.

"Have you ever cooked for anyone else?" I asked, I don't know why I ask all these stupid questions, his past was none of my business.

"Yes..."

"Who?"

"I had a girlfriend before I took on the family business but after that, I didn't really have time for anything else..."

"Katerina?" I asked.

"How do you know about her?"

"I met her at Bianca's birthday party, she told me that she used to date you..."

He nodded, "Did she now?"

"Mhm..."

I couldn't help but wonder when did he learn to cook like that, with Katerina or for Katerina? He usually doesn't have time, and learning to cook can take up lots of your time. His cooking skill wasn't of a beginner's; for me, they were too professional.

"How did you learn to cook?" I asked, taking a bite of the meatloaf.

He glanced at me and then looked back down at his plate before he answered. "My mama."

"Your mother taught you how to cook?"

"Mama and I used to cook together when I was little. It is the only normal memory I have of my childhood. My mother lived a very isolated life; being Don's wife isn't a piece of cake, Evangeline. We used to spend a lot of time together before I turned seventeen. After that, my father pulled me into the life of the Cosa Nostra completely."

I bit my lower lip, "But you said you committed a murder when you were seven."

He nodded. "I did; that's when my mama knew she gave birth to the devil. She tried to pull me away from this life, from who I was," he breathed out a laugh. "It was an impossible feat; she knew that, but cooking is the only thing that makes me feel normal. It makes me feel like an ordinary man. If I wasn't all this... I might've owned a restaurant."

I saw the soft eyes he made whenever he talked about his mother. "Your mama must be an amazing cook."

He smiled. "She was..."

"You really loved her, didn't you?"

"She is the only woman I have ever loved."

The fork dropped from my hand, but I picked it up again and played with the food on my plate. Till now, Nikolai had never told me that he loved me. I mean, we were married now. He had said to me multiple times that he wanted me, but he never actually told me what he felt about me.

"Evangeline, eat..." he ordered; I looked up and gave him a slight smile before I continued to eat my food.

My appetite kind of dwindled after that. He said she was the only woman he ever loved, the only woman. Does that mean he only desired me? Or what? Does he only see me as a possession?

The waiter came back and picked up our dishes. Then the dessert was brought out; it was brownie tiramisu. I did eat that whole because I had a sweet tooth.

Nikolai stood up and offered me his hand. I frowned but took his hand nonetheless. He placed a hand on the small of my back and led me toward the soft mattress covered with white sheets, fluffy duvets, and pillows.

He made me sit and dropped to his haunches. He then softly took off my heels, and I folded my legs underneath myself, facing the beautiful hills. Nikolai then took off his coat and shoes and made himself comfortable beside me. He wrapped an arm around me and pulled me to his side.

I placed my head over his shoulder and sighed; the view seemed so peaceful. The silence was comforting. He didn't say anything, and neither did I.

"Do you like the view?" he asked.

"I love it," I told him as he kissed my temple.

"I love this view too," he voiced.

"I know, it's incredible," I agreed, watching the hills as the soft wind blew all around us. 

"I'm not talking about that view," he laughed, and then Nikolai's hand went to my hair; he pulled out all the pins that were holding my hair up, letting them loose. "You look so beautiful with your hair open," he whispered in my ear.

My cheeks turned red. "You look really hot when you're only wearing your pants."

"No shirt?" he raised an eyebrow.

I laughed, shaking my head. "Definitely, no shirt and that gun that is always tugged in the back of your pants—Whew!" I fanned myself to show him how hot it was.

Nikolai laughed, throwing his head back and showing off the strong column of his throat. I wanted to kiss it. It was a rare occasion when he laughed so freely like that. Sometimes I forget that beneath all that darkness, there's just a man, but I get reminded of it from time to time whenever he is so carefree around me.

He wrapped his arm around my neck and pulled me closer so that our lips were almost touching. "I didn't know little Evangeline is a pervert."

My mouth hung open, and I playfully slapped the arm that was wrapped around my neck. "I'm not a pervert."

"Yes, yes, you are." he laughed and lightly pecked my lips.

"Shut up," I laughed and pushed him back.

"I'm gonna shut you up," saying that, he pressed his lips onto mine.

Heat rose to my face as his soft lips brushed against mine. My heart skipped a beat, and my mind went hazy with his intoxicating cologne. He tasted like the desert we just had, sweet, perfectly, perfectly sweet.

My body reacted to him on its own accord. My toes curled, and a pleasure-filled warmth pooled in my lower stomach. Everything about him was hypnotic, the taste, the smell, his tongue, god! I wanted more...

His hand wrapped around my waist, pulling my body over his while the other caressed the back of my head in a loving yet firm manner.

My heart thumped against my chest as both of my legs settled on either side of his waist. I couldn’t control the adrenaline rush I felt as his kiss grew more profound; the lump formed in my throat, and my heartbeat grew violent.

The hand that rested over the back of my head slowly trailed down my spine, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake.

A cold breeze touched the skin of my back, and I realized what he had done. He had unzipped my dress, leaving it slack over my shoulders as his finger touched my bare back.

Instinctively, my hands went to his hair; I tugged at the thick dark locks, and I harshly pulled at them, my nails scratching his scalp. He moaned into my mouth. 

I felt him getting hard underneath me, and my hip rolled onto his erection on its own accord. He shuddered and there was a sound from the back of his throat, half growl, half moan.

Holy mother of god! It was the most arousing sound he had ever made.

My body felt alive; it burned with intensity like it had caught on fire. I felt myself getting wet as I rubbed over his clothed erection.

I tangled my fingers more into his hair; It was so soft; nothing else about him felt that way.

The rush of pleasure that shot through my body was maddening, frightening, but so damn satisfying at the same time.

A hand wrapped around my throat, and Nikolai pulled me back, biting my lower lip as it stretched between us. He let go of my lower lip with a rough tug and then stared at them with dark, heavy-lidded lust-filled eyes.

I pulled my burning lower lip into my mouth, licking it. I swallowed; the only sound that resounded in my ears was my own breathing and heavy heartbeat.

"So fucking beautiful," he murmured against my lips, and his deep, lust-filled voice was spine-tingling.

And then, he again pulled me in by my neck and kissed me hard.

This second kiss was so deep, so damn passionate, that it left no room for any more thoughts. The only thing I felt was a need—an intense need for him.

I rocked my hips against his erection faster, telling him what I wanted from him. I was breathless; my body ached for more than just kisses; I needed more than that—more of him. 

I fisted his shirt, tugging roughly at the buttons of his black shirt; I wanted to open them and run my hand over his sculpted chest.

He groaned softly, low in his throat, and then suddenly, he rolled us over, our bodies still tangled intimately, our lips still locked as he hovered over me.

He pulled back and stared into my eyes; his forehead rested over mine; we breathed each other's air, and our lips were swollen.

I ran my hand all over his strong shoulders and muscled arms. "I want you, Nikolai... I need you so bad," I moaned the words.

His lips curved into a devilish smile. "You have no fucking idea that I'm the one who needs you more, Angel."

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