The Twelve Vitali Ch. 19

Authors note: Hello everyone. Thank you everyone for the positive feedback and comments they mean the world to me, make me smile and have brightened my days. I appreciate all of you who regularly comment and vote for me. Thank you once again to Paul who continues to be my second set of eyes. ~ellie.

The Twelve Vitali Chapter 19

Cat woke with a fright. They'd returned home in the early hours of the morning and, exhausted, she had fallen into bed. She had drunk too much champagne feeling relaxed and at ease in the small crowd who all welcomed her to their family. She'd come into the bedroom and stripped down to her underwear and fallen asleep as Matteo and Ricco had talked quietly in the living room. When she had woken, she had found herself sandwiched between the two men.

Cat lay breathing softly, trying to make her brain work. Matteo had told her that Ricco had moved into his apartment and the bedroom while she had been gone, but she wasn't sure she was ready for this. She knew from what Ricco had said that he would not be happy to be a third wheel and live like a monk, but she needed time, time to make sure of her feelings. It would be so easy to fall back into old patterns with him, he was familiar to her, and she breathed in his scent as she lay staring at his back.

'And what are your feelings? How long would it take to sort them out? Wasn't it better to just start living the way it would be?' It wasn't like she hadn't been intimate with him. He'd seen her naked more times than she cared to admit. She didn't have to sex with him, immediately. Did she want to? She'd certainly thought about it recently, and what it would be like to be in bed with both these men. Could she have sex in front of him, as she had in her daydream? They were just sleeping, but it wouldn't always be this way, there would come a time when decisions would have to be made. She could sleep like this, she decided, it's not like they had given her any choice in the matter, after all.

"I can hear you thinking," Ricco whispered.

"Sorry, go back to sleep," she whispered back.

"This won't always seem so weird," he murmured and turned to kiss her cheek before rolling over with his back to her again.

"Go back to sleep," Matteo stirred and pulled her close, kissing her forehead. It bothered her that he seemed so okay with this. For a man who had not liked the thought of her innocent friendship with Pete, the acceptance of another man, albeit his brother, in bed with them surprised her. She snuggled close to him, thinking that if they were alone together she would instigate sex, but felt she couldn't with Ricco beside them. She nuzzled his neck and purred softly, making him tilt his head toward her.

"Mm, you're going to regret that," he murmured and took her hand, placing it on his semi-erect cock.

"We can't," she whispered, "Not here," she looked over her shoulder at Ricco's back.

"He won't care, he sleeps like a rock. Trust me, even if he was awake he wouldn't care," Matteo groaned as her fingers wrapped around his cock and pressed his lips to hers.

"Can't we go to the white room?" she purred softly into his ear.

"That room requires clear heads and intentions which neither of us is capable of tonight." In one swift movement, Matteo rolled to his side and pulled Cat under him before rolling back over the top of her, cocooning her between his arms and kissing her deeply again. "I won't ever put you at risk." He wedged his knees between hers, widening her legs and pressing up against her.

"We can't do this here," she protested half-heartedly as he rose up above her, and she became lost in the feeling of being with him.

"Relax, close your eyes," he kissed her and slid forward, easing himself into her, swallowing her whimpering purrs. "So good, Kitten," he murmured between kisses as he pushed all of his cock deep inside her. Cat lost herself in the feel of him. She stared up into his dark eyes, lifting her legs over her hips and wrapping her arms around his neck, she met him thrust for gentle thrust, but she wanted more. She wanted and needed harder, deeper, faster, fucking, and, as if reading her mind, he began to drive into her with greater force and speed.

Matteo bent his head to her breast, his teeth scraping over the sensitive flesh before sinking into her swollen nipple. She cried out, arching up toward him, her mind building higher toward release. She felt the bed lurch to her side, and her eyes popped open remembering that Ricco was right there beside them in the dark. Guilt and embarrassment mixed with her pleasure and need to make her soar higher and her whimpering purrs grew as her body responded to Matteo's, as well as the fact that she knew Ricco was awake and watching him.

"Oh God!" her brain melted and she came hard with the mix of scattered emotions caused by knowing Ricco was there melding with the pleasure of Matteo's expertise in making her body sing.

Matteo felt the bed move and the change in Cat as he bit into her sensitive flesh. He revelled in her cries and the responses she made sharing the odd sensation of being watched by his brother. Her pussy gripped his cock, milking it with tight muscles, he growled as he came with her, holding her trembling body tightly. It may not have been on par with the high they had experienced in the white room before being parted for so long, but it was a satisfying release, and it served to start the process of easing his brother into their relationship.

His brother's voyeurism hadn't bothered him as much as he had thought it might, and Cat's physical reaction when she realised he had turned to watch them had been amazing. He looked down into her eyes and wondered at the mix of emotions he could see play across her face in the dim light of the bedroom.

"Too soon?" he asked, sweeping her hair from her face and staring into her eyes. He watched as she turned her head toward Ricco and looked back up at him.

"I don't know," she whispered, and he rolled to his back and pulled her to his side.

"It was perfect," Ricco murmured into the silence, not hiding the fact that he had been watching them. "Sleep," he added.

Cat's brain continued to whirl with questions as she lay silently wrapped around Matteo. He continued to hold her protectively until she finally fell asleep with her head on his chest. When she woke up next, she was alone in the bed wondering if she had dreamed the night before.

Cat sat up and swung her legs from the bed, stretching as she did each morning, feeling her spine lengthening as she twisted her neck and straightened her posture. She was still naked and feeling odd about the fact that Ricco or the housekeeper could walk in at any moment. She got up to find some clothes and have a shower.

"Oh, good, you're awake," Ricco said from behind her. "We were starting to get worried."

"Ricco!" Cat gasped, lifting her hands to cover her nudity and feeling vulnerable.

"What? It's not like I haven't seen you naked before," he chuckled. "I'll turn my back if it makes you feel better, but you have to know I'd never force you to do anything you didn't want to do."

"It's just going to take me some time to get used to," she said, reaching for the robe she found at the entrance to the walk-in closet. "I meant what I said about starting over and dating again."

"I understand," he said, turning back around. "But Matt and I are Siamese twins at the moment, and like it or not we're stuck together, so there's going to have to be some compromises, and it's better, I think, to just acknowledge the fact that this is the way it's going to be. You are essentially marrying both of us, after all."

"It surprises me that you two seem so fine with this. Especially Matt," she said, doing up her robe and coming back to where he stood. "I always thought he had a jealous streak, but he's not bothered by this at all. Or at least he doesn't seem to be."

"He trusts us," Ricco explained as if it was obvious. "He knows I would never come between the two of you and what you have. I am not trying to steal you away from him, and he knows you love him and can't be stolen away. He also knows I never stopped loving you or wanting you, and he knows this relationship will be between the three of us, not two separate couples. There's nothing to be jealous of, I know you two love each other, and I hope in time you'll feel that sort of love for me too. I love you both. He already loves me, we've always been close as brothers, and now it's better than it ever was."

"It will take time," she admitted. "I know you've grown up with the idea of polyamory being normal, but it's going to take me some time. You understand that, don't you?"

"Yes, which is why we are starting our life together here as normally as possible, I'm here, not just for now, but always," he said seriously. "I will never come between you and Matt, but I won't be ignored like the invisible man either and banished to another room while you two live your lives together and decide when you can spare some time to include me."

"I see," Cat tilted her head hearing an undercurrent in his voice and wondered if that was how Maryanne had treated him. He had said it with such conviction that he'd obviously felt ignored and isolated before. She thought back to their relationship, it had never lacked passion, even though she hadn't reached the big highs she had come to expect from sex. She admitted that she hadn't exactly been honest with him either about what she wanted and needed during their relationship.

"Do you?" he asked gently.

"Yeah, I think I do. Does that mean you'll be coming on the honeymoon too?" Cat asked half joking.

"Probably, if things stay the way they are," he lifted his wrist showing the watch. "Rest assured I will not lay a finger on you until you ask me to, and Matteo agrees," he reassured her. "I don't mind watching though," he waggled his eyebrows making her blush about the night before. "You never have to worry about me being around, I won't interfere unless invited, and, believe me, you looked so beautiful with Matteo last night, it is no hardship for me to watch you."

"But surely you must have... umm... needs, as well," she stammered over the words, finding this straightforward conversation both hard and oddly stimulating.

"I do, and we will get to those eventually when we're all ready. Matt might seem fine, but he will probably need more time than you before he is comfortable with me touching you intimately. It'll be a learning curve for all of us, but for better or worse we're all in this together now," he said, giving her a crooked smile.

"So, for the moment you're happy if you can watch?" she asked, trying to work out what he was saying.

"I wouldn't mind tying you up like a pretty gift for Matt to play with," he smirked. "You seemed curious about my status as a Kinbakushi on the plane," he saw her brows knit and added, "Rope Master."

"Yes, Hella used some rope in my training. I liked it, but I don't think she was a master of it. You're right, I am curious about it," Cat admitted, becoming more comfortable as the conversation progressed. She had thought she loved this man once, and she still cared about him deeply. She thought about him and the situation a lot while she had been at the Battaglia facility, and she knew that having him in this bizarre relationship was far preferable to someone she didn't know or like. Still, wrapping her head around the reality of it all now that she was home and he was here in her life, and her bed, was difficult.

"I'm sorry I never told you what I needed when we dated. Neither of us was particularly honest with each other back then," Cat said sadly.

"That's about to change," he chuckled. "Matt has shown me that honesty can get things accomplished pretty quickly if you want them badly enough, and I want this, Cat. Not just you, although that is high on my list of wants, but all of this, you and Matt and the family we will have together. I want it all, and I won't risk jeopardising what we've begun now by holding back anything I'm feeling or need to say from either of you," he said seriously. "I'm patient though, and we all need time to adjust, but that doesn't mean we should ignore it either. So, baby steps, okay?"

"Baby steps," she agreed. "Now, I need to shower." She began walking toward the bathroom again.

"I don't mind watching that either," he grinned, but when she threw him a long-suffering look, he backed out of the bedroom holding his hands up. "Baby steps," he chuckled.

*****

Matteo and Ricco worked mostly from home over the few days after arriving home, with only small amounts of time at the office or on the building sites troubleshooting issues that needed their individual attention. Ricco had begun to shut down his files for clients outside of the family and had begun taking on more of Roberto's workload for him which didn't require him being in his office. The work Matteo had done over the preceding weeks putting managers he trusted in place was paying off, and he had more time to spend making plans with Cat, Ricco and his fathers for the gathering and the big events planned for this year's family celebrations.

Lucca had stepped up in a big way in Matteo's business and was keeping him informed of everything happening on the various projects in progress. He had been a little concerned about putting someone so young in as his second in charge, but Lucca had been nothing short of amazing in his attention to detail and doing things the way Matteo would want.

Ricco, too, had been a constant surprise by not pushing his own agenda beyond anyone's limits but still being a constant presence as they adjusted to life together. It was easy and effortless to include him, and he seemed content for the moment to play voyeur to the love-making without intruding upon it. Matteo knew that wouldn't last forever, but for now it was working, although Cat still seemed to hold back at times.

With the return of the paintings he had lent to the Donatis' for Cat's show, his Vitali building was virtually complete and ready for the influx of family who lived outside of Melbourne that would stay on the residential floors. All except one floor were receiving their final touches, and he considered the changes he had requested over the last few weeks for his penthouse apartment. He had brought in his most trusted team to renovate the space he had originally designed with the idea that he would have a contracted loveless marriage agreement. He realised that in not giving Ricco or Cat any input into the design and layout made the space his rather than theirs, so he needed their approval in time to make any changes they wanted so it could act as their family home here in the city.

He would step back from the renovation of the house on the hill he had promised Cat, and the apartment they currently lived in he would give to Lucca for stepping up the way he had. Matteo knew from experience the long hours his younger brother would have been putting in to keep abreast of everything on all the different project sites. His overseas projects were winding up, and he had thought that their honeymoon could incorporate the final inspections needed on those and lessen the load on Lucca while he was out of the country.

"You look lost in thought," Hilary said from his office door.

"You and Lucca have made a pretty good team lately," he said, giving the woman the praise she deserved for her part in running this company. "I'm afraid it will be a while before I come back full time. It's not just getting married, it's a few different things," he tried to explain.

"Your fathers are putting a lot of pressure on you, I know," she said. "Lucca is a good man and is almost as driven as you were at that age, which is a nice change for such a young man. I'd like to continue working for both of you, should you decide to come back full-time in the future."

"That might be doable, given that my life is changing significantly, and I don't think once we start a family I am going to be as obsessive about the company as I once was," he smiled softly. The truth was that he would have the added responsibility of leading his family as chair, and that had weighed heavily on him until he realised how well Lucca handled everything with Hilary's help. He knew that eventually Lucca would have responsibilities of his own where the family was concerned, but he hoped that if they scaled back slightly and didn't take on any more overseas projects that he would be able to handle both and they could work together to keep the company and the family on track.

"By the way, Cat is in with your brothers. You were going up to inspect the penthouse?" Hilary asked, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

"Excellent," he grinned at her and stood to gather his phone and wallet. "Thanks, Hilary, I don't know what I'd do without you."

"I keep thinking this happy you who smiles all the time is a mirage that will disappear at any moment," she teased as he kissed her cheek when he walked past her. "Not that I'm complaining, it's just taking some time to get used to."

"Hey, I smiled before!" he said defensively.

"Not often, and not the way you smile now," she continued to tease him. "You're late, by the way." Matteo shook his head and walked into the next office, greeting both of his brothers and kissing Cat.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Me too?" Lucca asked, not sure if he was included in the statement.

"Come if you want," Matteo shrugged. "The outcome will affect you too, eventually."

"The outcome of what?" he asked curiously.

"Come, and you'll see," Matteo replied enigmatically. He then led them up to the new penthouse apartment. It spanned the entire floor and was sparsely decorated with neutral colours. The area was vast, and rooms had been tentatively created for two offices and an art studio. There were many guest rooms and several that had been clustered together around a second large living area that would serve as a future nursery or welcome guests with children and nannies. They were returning to the main living areas of the apartment after a quick tour when Vanessa walked in with several others who worked with her.

"Good, you're here already," she greeted Matteo and Ricco with kisses on the cheeks before turning to Cat. "We have a lot of work to do this afternoon," she gathered her by linking their arms and walking toward the main bedroom. "Men have no idea how long this kind of thing takes. I took the liberty of meeting your brother and his friend and having a look at the townhouse you bought, not that you lived there very long, but they gave me some ideas, in addition to what I know of Matt and Ric, and I've drawn up a few different layouts for you."

"You have? For me?" Cat asked in confusion.

"Well, of course, this is going to be your home, and let's face it, you have far more taste than he does," she rolled her eyes at Matteo. "You should see the monstrosity he had custom-made for the bedroom." They stepped into the room, and she swung her arm as if presenting the biggest bed Cat had ever seen.

"Gosh, that is huge!" she agreed. "I guess we do like a bit of space when we sleep. Matt's quite a restless sleeper," Cat confided, unsure of what to say and thinking of their current sleeping arrangements that, while cosy, could become unbearable if one of them got a cold or the flu.

"It's an interesting choice," Ricco chuckled. "Custom-made, you said?"

"It had to be, it's well above even a super king bed in size, we've had to order custom-made linen and everything for it. So we need to make some decisions about colours," Vanessa spoke with a professional tone laced with her disapproval. She gave Cat a quick tour of the bedroom before steering her back out of the room.

Cat let herself be led into the dining room where sketches, colour samples and fabrics were all placed before her to choose from. She barely noticed that one of the men had disengaged from the group that had arrived with Vanessa and walked away with Matteo until she tried to find him to get his opinion on one of the colour samples.