Arranged Mafia Marriage

Elsa

“Did you… did you just say what I think you did?” I stare at him.

“I never say something unless I mean it.” His thumb presses down on the pulse that beats at the hollow of my throat.

“I… ” I try to form the words, but it’s like my brain cells have all fused together. How can he be so presumptuous? How can he assume that I should’ve saved myself for him? How can he say I should’ve waited for him to become my Dom? How can he… expect that I wouldn’t have married anyone else and waited for him to come along? And yet, the fact that he thinks this, and with such authority, only reinforces his power over me. His possessiveness, the way he clasped-is still clasping-his fingers around the nape of my neck like he owns me, only adds more intensity to his words.

“Seb,” I swallow, “sometimes I don’t know what to make of you. You barge into my life, turn it upside down and then you… you…”

“Tell you the truth.”

I glance away. That’s the issue here. The fact that I can’t disagree with him. That every part of me wishes I had waited for him. That I had heeded my mother’s words and not rushed to marry Fabio… But he’d swept me off my feet, and when he’d asked me to marry him, I got carried away. Then I got pregnant with Avery. And if I hadn’t met him, I wouldn’t have Avery. And I wouldn’t have moved to Palermo and met Seb, either.”Admit it, Princess.” He applies just enough pressure on the nape of my neck that I raise my gaze to his. “Tell me I’m right.” His golden-brown eyes flare with that intensity I’m coming to associate with him. It’s like he’s gathered all of the emotions he holds inside of himself, twisted them into a knot, and lodged it behind his eyes. And now, I can see it, sense it… smell the frustration that coats his features. “Do you know how many times I’ve wanted to kill that motherfucker for putting his hands on you? Every time I think about him holding you, touching you… Kissing you.” His gaze drops to my mouth and stays there. “I want to fuck you and keep fucking you, until the only thing you can see, hear, taste, touch, smell is me… Only me.”

My breath hitches.Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

“I don’t want to stop until you’re mine.”

“But I am yours,” I whisper. “Since the first time I set eyes on you, there has been no one else but you.”

“And yet, you didn’t trust me to take care of your daughter?”

“I…” I bite the inside of my cheek. “I’m sorry.”

“Do you know what I would give for that little girl in there to be mine?”

“She is… She is yours,” I say in a low voice.

“I don’t think I heard you,” he says in a hard voice.

“She is yours, Seb. So am I.” I tip up my chin. “I made some bad decisions. I made choices I’m not proud of, but if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have Avery, and because of that, I can’t regret everything. I’d give anything for her to be yours by blood, but spiritually, it’s clear you’re connected.”

His jaw tics.

“She’s never taken to anyone as quickly as she’s taken to you, Seb. She’s never asked for anyone else-not even her blood father-to stay with her as I bathe her and read to her and put her to bed. She asked for you, Seb. She asked. For you.”

He peers into my eyes and a multitude of emotions seem to pass over his features. Then he drags me forward. I fall against him and he grunts.

“Sorry,” I exclaim, “I totally forgot that you’re wounded.”

“The real wounds are the ones you inflicted on my heart when you didn’t trust me enough to tell me that you were colluding with him.”

“I’m sorry, Seb,” I whisper, “so sorry for having hurt you.” And if I have to do it again to make sure you’re safe, then I will.

“What are you thinking?” He glances between my eyes. “What’s going on in that mind of yours, Elsa?”

Damn, but he knows me so well, and in such a short period of time. Maybe I shouldn’t go ahead with my plan; maybe I should tell him what I’m planning to do. I open my mouth, but what comes out is, “… that Avery’s asleep, and if she does wake up, I have this-” I raise my hand and show him the baby monitor receiver. “So-”

“So…?

“So, I think we should move to your room, and make sure you get settled, so you can rest up, considering you’re still recovering from your injury.”

“Is that all you were thinking about?”

I swallow.

“Tell me, Princess.”

“Y-yes,” I stutter.

He bends his knees so he’s at eye level with me. “Liar.” His lips pull up in a smirk. “But I’ll let you get away with it… this time.”

He releases me, then straightens and walks toward the door of my bedroom. I follow him down the corridor and to the next bedroom at the far end. He pushes the door open, walks in, then heads for his bed. He turns to glance at me over his shoulder and asks, “Coming?”

I follow him as he walks over to sit down on the bed. He toes off his shoes, then stretches out on the mattress.

Some of the tension seems to leave his big body, and he watches me from under his eyelashes as I walk around to the other side of the bed. I place the baby monitor on the nightstand, then stretch out next to him, over the covers.

For a few seconds, we lay there. Then he reaches into the pocket of his jeans and hands me something. “Here.”

I glance over to find my phone in his hand.

“You’re returning my phone to me?”

“I trust you,” he says simply, and my heart nearly shatters. Jesus, is it possible for this man to break me further? He said he’d wear me down by being my Dom, but it’s his words, his gestures, the way he looks at me like he wants to scold me one second, and the next second fuck me… It’s his heart that’s winning me over, and he’s not even aware of it. I thought an alpha male was someone who holds power over you, who can make you shiver with a look, a touch, a single tilt of his lips… And Seb has all that and more. And yet, it’s his empathy that slays me every time. He seems to understand what I need to hear from him. He knows what I need without my having to spell it out for him. He understands Avery like he’s her blood father, better than her blood father, and all I’ve given him in return is a bullet to his shoulder.

I reach for the phone and place it on the side table, then lower my legs to the ground. I walk around to stand on his side of the bed so he has an unfettered view of me. Then I grip the hem of my sweater and pull it off. His breath catches, and I raise my gaze to find him watching as I reach down, lower the zipper of my jeans, and push them off, along with my sneakers and my socks. Clad only in my panties and bra, I straighten.

He rakes his gaze down my face, my breasts, my hips, my thighs, down to my toes. By the time he’s raised his gaze back to mine, my breathing has grown shallow. My skin feels too tight for my body and my scalp tingles. I reach behind me, unhook my bra, and let it drop to the floor. My nipples instantly peak. Every pore in my body seems to have opened, and is ready and open and willing to be filled by him. He’s controlling me and he doesn’t even have to say a word. I slide my fingers into the waistband of my panties and push them down my legs without breaking the connection of our eyes.

I straighten, and he takes another leisurely visual tour of my body. He circles his finger. A flush blooms on my face and creeps down my body as I turn slowly, then stop to face him, with my hand on my hip.

“What do you want, Princess?”

“I want to see you naked.”