Mafia's Devil part 31

Long chapter :)

KARINE

“I couldn’t stand you,” he charmingly tells me. “I thought you were annoying and disruptive. I don’t like those characteristics. They keep me from making money.”

I roll my eyes at the man that’s wrapped around me like a monkey. If I snapped a picture of the big, bad, cold mafia warlord and presented it to the world, he would become a laughing stock.

“From the day I spanked you, to the day I found you under my bed as I masturbated, to the day you forced yourself into my home when I had that stupid fever…”

I snort. “Stupid fever? Are you still hung up on the fact that you’re not as Godly as you think because you’re a mortal who can become ill?”

“Don’t interrupt, you little red ant. You pain in my ass. As I was saying, I don’t know I got here. Chasing you in jealousy, challenging your family, forcing an engagement ring on you. Speaking of which, where is it?”

I curl my fingers when he raises my hand. “About that… I, uh, lost it.”

He’s silent, and I panic. “I’m so sorry. Was it a family heirloom? Can I pay for it back? I can ask Maksim to lend me some money and I’ll—”

“I don’t want that man’s money,” he snarls and squeezes my wrist.

I feel his chest fall and rises behind me, and I get ready to apologize all over again.

“It’s alright,” he decides. “I’ll get you another ring. You can choose it.”

“You’re still going on about that?”

“Yes, Karine.” He takes my hips and spins me with surprising strength for a man who is injured. Then again, this is Luciano.

I frown. “I can’t marry you.”

“Then you’ll remain single forever because I’ll eliminate any potential fiance yours. I told you many times already that I want you. I gave you the words and the ring. As soon as I can walk straight, I’ll walk you down an aisle in Italy.”

“Italy?! I’m Russian, you asshole!”

“My last name is not Russian. You will take my last name.” He squeezes me tight, giving me no space to escape.

“If you weren’t hurt right now, I would kick you in the balls.”

“Ouch. I need those to put our children in you, wife,” he chuckles and kisses my neck.

I raise a hand, tempted to slap a hand over his mouth to shut him up.

“Hey now. I'm the patient, remember?”

I lower my hand and he snuggles deeper into me, spooning me from behind.

“You’re so tiny,” he chuckles.

“Don’t forget the feral part,” I grumble. “And no, Luciano. I won’t marry you.”

“Well, it wasn’t really a request…”

“See? That’s exactly why,” I interject. “You’re so used to just taking. I’m not money, a car, or a business deal. You can’t snatch me.”

“So you want me to ask you? Drop to a knee and make a spectacle?”

“If I were to even remotely consider this, I’d need you to take it slow. I’m young, not dying like you. I’m not rushing into marriage.”

He grunts. “First, I’m twenty-nine, not ‘dying.’ Second, your father was ready to sell you off to a man of his choosing for marriage. What do you mean you’re not ready?”

“That’s different,” I argue, and palm his hand when it digs deeper into my belly. “If I have control, then I will take my time with it.”

“You want me to romance you? Take you on public dates, put you on tabloids, fly you out, shower you in expenses—”

He’s getting it all wrong.

“That’s not romance, Luciano. That's you making me another one of your side women.”

He’s quiet after that. I’m sure I’ve turned his life upside down by informing him he has no idea how to woo women other than throwing money at them.

I’m not one of those women. If I wanted money, I don’t have to chase down eligible bachelors.

“So, what do you want?” he asks. “Give me the equation.”

“You want me to tell you how to swoon a lady? That’s your homework, not mine. Figure it out.”

He grumbles something under his breath, like the gigantic neanderthal he is.

“You should take some pain meds for your leg.”

“No. They make me drowsy.”

“So does alchohol.”

“Yes, but I never get intoxicated. I like having all of my senses intact.”

That makes sense. You’d want to be in your right mind at all times in a world where many want you dead. It’s a scary thought to have enemies in every crook and cranny, but I’m used to it. I've been prepared to bury my father since my teenage years. That’s just how fucked up the underworld mafia is.

After some time, I allow myself to relax. Luciano is built of bricks, but I can’t lie. He feels nice wrapped around me, especially in this cold.

I jolt awake when he slides off the bed in the dead of night.

“Luciano?” My voice sounds more vulnerable than I would like.

“Shhh. Go back to sleep.”

He goes to check the window, peering out of the curtains.

“Your leg,” I warn groggily, but I don’t get up to take him to bed. It’s not like I have the strength to drag him anywhere he doesn’t want to go.

When he’s convinced Maksim isn’t in the bushes, he returns to bed. A few hours later, he’s back up and staring out the window again. His patrolling becomes a cycle that worries me. Every time, I wake up and remind him to get his weight off his bad leg.

Exhausted by the constant interruptions, I eventually knock out.

Much later, I creak my eyes open and blink to get brief escapes from the sun. Luciano is lying beside me, his phone in his right hand and his left arm pillowing my head.

My eyes trail up his naked chest, eating their breakfast.

Damn, he’s fine.

My eyes lock on his phone. He’s on an internet browser, scrolling through search results.

How to romance a woman

How to make a girl crazy

How to make her fall for you

How to make her feel special

I bite back a laugh. Somehow, I’ve led a mafia warlord to Google in search of blogs explaining how to steal a woman’s heart. I don’t laugh, though, because I find it cute and endearing that he’s taking this so seriously. I can’t wait to see what ridiculous advice he’ll follow.

I close my eyes and continue to feign sleep. After a few minutes, I shift to warn him I’m waking up.

“Hey,” he smiles at me when I look at him

Fucking handsome Italian bastard.

“Hi.” I look at his phone. “What are you up to?”

“I was checking my stock portfolio.”

Riggghttt.

He definitely wasn’t looking up how to— and I quote— “make her head over heels for you.”

“Oh yeah? How are the numbers looking?”

“Good enough to buy you any engagement ring under the sun,” he replies, and I swear his chest swells with arrogance.

I could easily burst his bubble by mentioning his search history, but I bite my tongue.

“Right,” I smirk. “How about we start at breakfast first?”

He shrugs, his bicep flexing under my cheek and making me very conscious of how strong he is.

“I’m craving crackers with jelly. Can you spread your thighs for me?”

It takes me a second to understand what he’s talking about.

“Ew! Gross!”

I push myself off, but he pins me by lying his torso on me. It’s not enough to crush me, but I can’t go anywhere.

“Wait. Wait,” he tries to calm me. “I’ll stop. Let me try again. How about I take you out on a date?”

“A date?” I raise an eyebrow.

“Yes.”

“And you’re asking, not demanding.”

“Yeah.”

I hesitate. “Okay… but no funny stuff.”

He flashes a smile. “Can I get a kiss for good behavior? Just a peck?”

“Um…”

He leans down, becoming bigger— something I thought impossible for him. Closer and closer, until I don’t know where he starts and I end. Then his lips press against me, and there is no longer a start or end to anything because we have become one.

His hand cups my cheek and his thumb strokes my cheekbone— a soft gesture, but hard because of his calloused, rough skin.

He pulls away, and with an inch between us, he says, “I like you a lot.”

Me? Well, I’m flustered, so I do what I usually do when I’m nervous— I escape.

“Yeah, well, I’m hungry, so get off me.”

There. Spell broken.

Luciano only throws his head back and laughs, and I’m left with the temptation of biting that sexy neck of his.

“You’re a tough nut to crack, Karine, but I’m going to crack the shit out of you. And yes, that’s an innuendo.”