Promised: A Mafia Arranged Marriage Romance, page 14
No matter what angle I look at him from, he’s perfect. His body’s all hard lines, all cut and strong, and I want to just curl up in his arms for him to protect me, but he takes my hand and pulls me into the shower with him, dispelling any thoughts I have of us cuddling.
“You were perfect,” he tells me, squeezing some shampoo onto his hand before washing my hair. His nails dig into my scalp, chasing away the stress from the past few days and I moan, leaning forward and resting my hands on the shower wall for support.
Before rinsing me he wets his loofah and soaps it up, running it all over my body, around my tits, under my ass. I feel a longing start deep in my core and I thrust my hips back at him just a little.
I don’t know how to ask for what I want, but I’m hoping that he’ll pick up on it. The sex was so fucking good and if he can make me feel like that every single time we’re together then I never want to be apart from him.
“Janele,” he says, and I hear the soft sound of the loofah falling to the floor. Even over the pounding sound of the falling water, the longing in his voice is evident. He grabs my hips, pulling me back to him. My ass brushes into his cock, which is hard and at attention, and I swallow. “Don’t tease if you don’t want something.”
I nod, trying to find the words I need to tell him that I do want it. I want him and that’s probably fucked up, but it’s not something that I can worry about right now. My father probably never thought that I’d end up falling for the man I’m supposed to marry.
I certainly didn’t.
“I want you,” I whisper, unsure if he heard me over the water. He doesn’t respond, just tightens his grip on my hips, and I clear my throat. “I want you, Xavier.”
“That’s all you ever have to say,” he tells me, thrusting forward and slipping into my cunt in one smooth motion. I cry out, rocking forward on my toes as he adjusts his grip, cupping one breast with his hand so that he can tease and squeeze my nipple.
“I want to fuck you every time I see you,” he says. “I tasted you, Janele, and I knew just how sweet your little cunt would be. And guess what? I was right. There’s nothing you can do to stop me from wanting you.”
“I don’t want you to stop,” I manage, gasping out the words as he slams into me. My hands are braced hard on the shower wall but I still feel like I might lose my balance. Each thrust of his cock pushes me not only forward, but closer to the edge.
How the fuck is he going to make me come again so quickly?
Gritting my teeth, I push back on him and we find our rhythm. When I’m no longer afraid that I’m going to lose my balance and slam into the shower wall I drop my hand down to my clit, my eyes closing and my mouth sagging open as I roll it under my thumb.
“Good girl,” he murmurs, his voice making me shiver. “I want you to take your own pleasure. Make yourself feel good, Janele.”
I moan in response, the sound rolling out of me. My toes start to curl and I feel every nerve in my body suddenly start to fire. It’s like all of my muscles are tightening at once as tiny champagne bubbles start at the base of my spine and then explode throughout my body.
“Fuck, Janele,” he gasps, and I know he’s about to come.
Sinking my teeth into my lower lip, I give myself over to the sensation of his cock sliding in and out of me. He’s hitting every nerve I have, dragging me farther and farther into pleasure.
My legs shake and I fear that I’m going to collapse to the floor, but I manage to stay upright as my orgasm tears through me. It’s deep in me, an incredible feeling that washes over me and then is immediately followed by another from my rubbing my clit.
“Holy fuck!” I scream, completely overwhelmed by the back-to-back orgasms tearing through my body. “Xavier!”
“You’re good, darling,” he says, his voice comforting. I let his voice wrap around me as I shake on his cock then feel him loose himself inside of me as well.
“Janele!” He cries, my name like a prayer on his lips. I shudder and sink to the floor, but he grabs me, pulling me to him and holding me to his chest. My legs are useless but he isn’t going to let me go and he supports me, rinsing me off.
“You’re perfect, Janele,” he tells me, getting all of the soap off of me. “Don’t you worry, I’m going to keep you safe, okay?”
“From what?” I finally manage to ask. My tongue feels thick in my mouth but I look up at him, wanting to see his face when he answers. “What do you need to keep me safe from? You’re the only thing I’ve ever been afraid of.”
His jaw twitches. Water streams down his gorgeous body, threatening to distract me from what I just said, but I manage to keep my eyes on him. I want to hear what he has to say.
“Xavier? Tell me.”
“I will,” he promises me, turning off the water and reaching out to grab a fluffy white towel. It looks like the kind of towel I’d imagine a super fancy and expensive hotel would use. He wraps it around me, rubbing my body to dry me off, then waits while I follow him to the bedroom.
“You get dressed, Janele, and I’ll explain everything.” A quick kiss leaves me wanting more and then he pulls on some clothes before he leaves, turning from the bedroom like he’s walking to the living room and kitchen.
For a moment, I just stand there and look at the empty door. The emotions running through my mind are so confusing that I know that I need time to really focus on them and try to catalogue them, but I also know that time isn’t something that I have.
Cold chills run through my body when I think about what he said. Why would someone want to hurt me?
And can I really trust Xavier to protect me?
Xavier
I have the living room windows thrown open to let in a breeze when Janele is finally dressed and comes to see me. She looks at home in my house as she collapses on the sofa, swinging her leg up on the cushion next to her and leaning back on the arm.
“Comfy?” I ask, handing her a blanket. Even though it’s nice outside, her hair is still wet and I have a feeling that she could easily get chilly. She gives me a small smile then takes it, wrapping it around herself and curling up into a little ball.
When she moves her leg she gives me plenty of room to sit next to her and I do just that, turning to watch her as I talk to her. She’s gorgeous. It’s the first thing that I noticed about her the other day when I met her at her father’s house, but more than that, she’s strong.
I knew that I was going to be getting a wife, but it hits me for the first time right now that I may also be getting a partner and I can’t help but be absolutely terrified of that.
My parents weren’t exactly the shining example of how to love someone and take care of them. I don’t know that I can be that person for Janele or that she can be that person for me. I’m not sure if it’s worth the risk.
One of us is going to end up getting hurt and I don’t want it to be me. All my life I’ve done everything that I can to build up walls and keep people out. Running my family has taken so much time and energy that it’s been impossible for me to make connections with people beyond a few close family members and friends.
And now look where I am.
My uncle wants me dead.
I have no idea if my cousin is in on it.
The fucking Dicaso family is scheming hard to try to help knock me down off of my throne and I can’t help but wonder if Janele’s father knows anything about it. He’s a snake in the grass, to be sure, and I don’t trust him.
I only trust a very small group of people.
My mind races as I try to pin down exactly how I feel and how I’m going to make it through the next few days. I know that I need to get Janele down the aisle, but the next couple of days are going to be difficult.
“Xavier?” Janele reaches out from under her blanket and touches my arm before sliding her hand down and slipping it into mine. “You look stressed. What’s going on?”
I glance over at her, unsure of how much I should tell her. I love fucking her but I have no idea if I can trust her. Taking a deep breath I decide what I have to do.
“Do you know the Dicaso family?” I ask.
Something flashes across her face and she frowns. “I’ve heard their name mentioned around the house when my father didn’t know that I was listening. He hates them, far as I can tell.”
I think that she’s telling the truth. Her eyes are bright and clear and she’s making great eye contact. There’s nothing in her body language to make me think that she’s lying, but I’m still a little worried.
“That’s it? You’ve never met them? Your father hasn’t ever had them over to eat or for drinks?”
She shakes her head. “Not that I know of, but my father wasn’t ever exactly forthcoming with who he was doing business with. I know that I heard your name all the time, but that’s it.”
“You ever heard of Benito Colombo?”
“Benito? No. Why?”
“He’s my uncle,” I tell her, watching her face to see if her expression changes.
“Sounds like you guys aren’t close,” she says, and I shake my head.
“You could say that.” I sit still with her for a minute then get up and stretch, grabbing my phone from the coffee table in front of us. “I have a call to make,” I tell her, punching in some numbers.
Janele doesn’t say anything as I wait for the phone to connect. It takes Timothy a moment to pick up, but then he does and I feel myself relax.
“Xavier, you ready to take care of business? I have some backup for you.”
I glance down at Janele. It doesn’t matter how we got to this point, what matters is that we’re here, and I’m not interested in letting her get away. “Yeah, I’m ready,” I tell him. “I just need to get someone to the house first.”
“Meet at my spot,” he says, and I nod, hanging up and firing off a quick text to a guard before slipping my phone into my pocket. Immediately, I feel adrenaline start to rush through my body. We’re going to take care of this problem.
We’re going to put the Dicaso family where they belong — six feet under.
My uncle can join them.
I look at Janele, who has her gorgeous face tipped up to look at me. She hasn’t said anything, but I know that she’s curious about what’s going on.
“I have to leave for a little bit,” I tell her.
“Take me with you.” She throws the blanket back and stands up next to me. “Don’t leave me here, Xavier. Maybe I can be helpful.”
I eyeball her and shake my head. “Not a chance. You’re not getting anywhere near these assholes, Janele. This is all for you, okay?” Before she can argue, I kiss her, my lips crashing against hers, then I leave.
The guard is already at my garage door when I open it and step out for my car. “Same rules as before,” I tell him, then I get in my car and back out of my driveway.
It’s time to end this.
Timothy stands next to me, his face still and angry like he’s been cut from stone. His three guys are all scattered around the property, taking care of security cameras. The Dicaso family will know that something’s going on, but they have no way of knowing that I’m coming for them.
A soft beep causes my friend to glance down at his phone, then he clicks the screen off and puts the device in his pocket. “You ready?” Timothy asks, and I nod.
I’m ready to crush this little problem. After we take care of the Dicaso family then I still need to decide what I’m going to do about my uncle, but that’s something I can worry about a bit later.
First, we have to get in there. Kill them all. Get out.
“Scorched earth,” I say, and Timothy nods.
The back gate swings open easily under his touch and I follow him through it, pulling my gun from its holster as we move quickly across the yard to the house. We’re both bent down, keeping out of sight, making sure that we approach the house at an angle.
In its blind spot.
Although, to be fair, the house is sitting in one huge blind spot right now with all of the cameras cut. There’s no way that the Dicaso family knows that we’re coming, and I’m counting on that to ensure that we can get in, clean them out, and leave without any problems.
Timothy’s friends have instructions to follow us in and help clear the space. Then they’ll stay behind and burn it all to the ground. There won’t be anything left, which is great for me.
Nothing left behind means no clues, and I’ll make sure to slip a little extra to my cop friends this month. It’ll be an open and shut investigation and nobody will pay attention to bullet holes in skulls.
House fire. Tragedy.
We know how to handle people like the Dicasos. I’ve just never had to take down an entire family before. The though is upsetting but if it’s them or me, then I’m always going to look out for myself.
And I’m going to look out for Janele.
I’m not sure that I’m worthy of love, but I’m going to do everything that I can to try to be. I’m going to work hard to try to show her that I can be the man she needs.
But I’m also going to be working hard to try to prove it to myself.
The back window is cracked and Timothy pops out the screen before raising it the rest of the way. We both climb in then go in opposite directions, determined to check every single room.
We’ll find the Dicasos and kill them all.
After clearing a small bathroom and a storage room, I pause in the hall, listening.
There are voices coming from a room down the hall and I creep closer, my gun up and ready, my heart beating hard. You never get over the fear and excitement that comes with killing another man.
Pausing outside the door to listen, I close my eyes to focus. It’s important that I can tell exactly how many men are in there.
I hear one voice, then another. And another.
Three at a minimum, maybe more if they’re just sitting and waiting to see what’s going on. Taking a deep breath, I turn the corner and fire off my first shot.
Janele
It’s the same guard as before and he’s just as sullen as the last time he was here. I can’t help but think that he needs to get laid because it would do wonders for his attitude.
“I’m going to the library,” I tell him, walking away from him down the hall. With every step that I take I expect him to call out to me to stop, but he must not give a shit what I do. All he has to do is make sure that I’m safe in the house.
I couldn’t find anything that I wanted to read in Xavier’s room, but I know that he has a library and I feel myself drawn to it. There’s nothing like the smell of books and leather to make me want to curl up and spend the afternoon reading. My father always smoked in his library and I brace myself for the same stale smell of cigarettes, but it doesn’t come.
Xavier doesn’t smoke and I sigh with relief as I stand in the door and take in the space. The walls are all covered with packed bookshelves and there’s a piano in the far corner. I’ve always wanted to learn how to play and I wonder if Xavier would let me take lessons.
A huge table in the middle of the room is spread with maps, and this is where I walk while I take in the rest of the space. A globe, a free-standing bar, some leather chairs, and a huge fern all fill the room.
The maps on the table are of the city and I bend over them, spreading my hands out on them to flatten them out the rest of the way. It takes me a minute to find where we are, but then I’m surprised at just how much land surrounds the house.
The property is much larger than I thought when we first pulled up. There’s plenty of room behind the house for a garden and I bet that it gets plenty of sun for some great flowers and vegetables.
As soon as that thought enters my mind, however, I push it away. Who am I to think that I’m actually going to be happy here with Xavier? He certainly isn’t what I thought when I found out that I was betrothed.
He’s older than me, but that doesn’t seem to bother him and I don’t care either. He’s violent, dangerous.
But not to me. Not once the two of us kinda figured each other out and got out of our way. I close my eyes for a moment, remembering how gentle he was when he fucked me.
For the first time since I found out years ago that I would have to marry someone my father had chosen for me, I feel at peace about it. Xavier isn’t the worst that I could do.
He’s damaged, just like me.
Walking away from the table, I browse the books, pulling out a slim volume of poetry before pouring myself some whiskey and sitting in a chair. I have to move a gun out of the way to put my glass on a coaster and I roll my eyes.
He must not have realized that he left it out because I can’t imagine that he’d be comfortable with me having access to a weapon.
What if I shot him?
A few days ago I would have. Without question.
I would have loved to put a bullet in his stupid face so that I could get the fuck out of here.
But now?
It’s probably stupid to even think about, but it honestly feels like Xavier is the first person to ever really see who I am. He knows that I’m damaged, knows that I come from a fucked-up family, but he doesn’t seem to care.
I shiver and pull my knees up to my chest to curl into a tight little ball.
He’s not a good man. Nobody would look at Xavier Colombo and think to themself that he was a good person. I’ve known that. I know the things that bad men can do, but I’ve never had one on my side.
Is he really so bad if he’s willing to keep me safe?
Is Xavier really so bad if I can trust him?
He hasn’t hurt me, not since he knew that I wasn’t trying to escape. I can see why he doesn’t belive in love, though. Neither one of us should, not after being raised by the types of parents that we had.
So why do I think that I might actually feel something for him?
“You’re being stupid,” I tell myself. “Xavier sees you as a means to an end, so keep your guard up.” My voice is quiet in the large room and even as the words leave my mouth, I’m not sure if they’re true.
