Falling for the Mafia Boss

Chapter Twelve

Mia POV

“If your face gets any redder, I’ll mistake you for a merlot.” Mom teases me as she peeks over one of the many stacks of freshly laundered linens. She decided every room in the house needed to be stripped of all fabric and it all needed to be washed. Really, she’s on the verge of having a nervous breakdown and this is her way of keeping it at bay. Deep cleaning has always been her go to therapy. “Who has you flustered?” she asks.

I pocket my phone and lift a towel up between her and I as I slowly fold it, hiding my face. “My room-mate from college sent me an embarrassing picture.” I lie, but really, I can’t seem to shake the daydream of Enzo’s head between my legs as he makes me scream. When I read his text, I pictured myself laying on top of our dining table, hands and feet bound together like a rotisserie chicken with an apple gagging my mouth. In my vision his hands were pushing my thighs to my stomach as he devoured my hot juicy p***y with his skilled mouth. I shift on my feet as I attempt to redirect my blood flow from my apex back through the rest of my body while mom eyes me intensely from the other side of the folding counter. God… He’s going to get me into trouble.

I thought getting Lorenzo off my mind was hard before we had s*x… now I don’t dream of getting him off me in any way. I thought he would want a one-night stand - I thought he was playing the game all men did – the game of chase. I figured once he got me in bed it would be his victory and he would be done with me.

But then he brought me to my car this morning and it was more than I expected. The way he held my hand in the car, kissing my knuckles every so often, confused me. Then when I told him to keep our night together a secret, I watched his heart shatter in the depths of his pupils. I instantly regretted what I said and bolted out of his car. I didn’t know whether to lean in and kiss him, confessing my love for him… or to just say good bye. So instead, I said nothing and got out as quickly as possible making an awkward run for it.

Lorenzo has always said little things that indicated he had feeling for me, but I assumed they were just s****l teasing. I never dreamed that he liked me the same way I liked him. I thought all these years we were just playing cat and mouse… obviously I let him catch me and it wasn’t satisfying enough for him.

“Your eyes look dreamy. Are you sure you’re not talking to Dylan?”

My heart aches at his name, but at the same time my stomach churns. “Gross mom.” I groan. Don’t get me wrong I miss Dylan in a weird way. He is familiar and, in a way, there are still lingering feelings for him that I am working towards getting over, but the thought of him makes me sick. Comparing him to Lorenzo, there is no competition. Lorenzo is a solid 110% of everything I have ever desired in a man, while Dylan was like a 25% that I was willing to settle for.

“Oh, I forgot… you have your eyes on Donnie’s best friend now.” Mom steals my attention. I swallow hard trying to get the lump in my throat to go down. “You should stay away from guys like him, Mia. They are dangerous.”

Dangerous? “What do you mean dangerous?” Can she confirm what I expect, that Lorenzo is part of the MOB? She probably knows him better than I do. Of course, she knows his secrets. Right?

She smiles softly and picks up a stack of blankets from the counter. “He’s handsome, charming, rich -He’s the ultimate bachelor, Mia. Guys like that can have anybody they want, and they usually want them all. Lorenzo is a good guy, sure, but I bet he has major skeletons in his closet, and will only break your heart. He looked guilty when I caught you two frolicking about on the counter. Guys whose intentions are good do not have guilt.”

Again, my cheeks disown me and heat up when I think back to the embarrassing moment mom caught us about to kiss. “We weren’t frolicking about.” I decide to take a leap, and confide in her. I play with the stitching on the bottom of one of her curtains where the lace meets the fabric. “I don’t think he would break my heart. He’s always been protective over me and my feelings.”

I flinch when mom sets her stack down abruptly and is in my face within the blink of an eye. Her eyes search mine and she lowers her voice. “Donnie will kill him, Mia. Lorenzo might be his best friend, but you are his baby sister. Donnie will never accept a relationship between you and him. Whatever you two are doing you need to stop before Donnie finds out.”

I step back, because all of a sudden, the air between her and I is not thick enough causing me to feel light headed. “Mom, Donnie wouldn’t actually kill anybody.” I’m in denial really. If Marco would so easily kill someone, why wouldn’t Donnie?

Mom scoffs, going back to the stacks of laundry that needs to be put away. “You have only been gone for three years, do not act like you forgot about Donnie and his temper. Now go hang all these curtains back up in the dining room.”

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The smell of freshly bleached linens didn’t stand a chance against the potent fragrance of garlic that attached itself to every air particle in the house. My mouth has been salivating since the moment mom peeled the garlic. I do not know what it is about Italians and their garlic, but I am in absolute heaven.

I wined the handle of our pasta press and watch as the machine gives birth to a flat sheet of pasta dough.

“Again, it’s not thin enough.” Dad says from the other side of the kitchen.

“You haven’t even seen it?”

Dad peers over his shoulder with an annoyed expression, “I do not have to see it to know that it is not thin enough. A true Italian knows.” He winks and returns his attention back to the bread he is coating in olive oil and roasted garlic. I place the edge of the sheet in the press again and wined it once more, flattening the dough thinner than before.

Mom strolls into the kitchen and wraps her arms around dad’s torso. She presses her cheek up against his back and closes her eyes. This is something mom has done for years, and it has always been a normal thing – an everyday occurrence. But now it feels so much deeper than just a loving gesture. I can tell by her scrunched up forehead and eyes that this moment is more than a loving gesture, it’s a plea. It’s a plea for this moment to not be their last. It’s a memory she is creating to look back on in a few weeks and feel his warmth through her imagination. Dad grabs her hands and unlocks them so that he can spin around and wrap his arms around her. Seeing them going through this together breaks my heart and I can’t take it anymore. “I need to be excused.” I whisper into the atmosphere thick with longing and regret and hurry past them, trying not to disturb their moment.

I tiptoe out the front door and jog through the yard in search of the board swing dad hung in our white oak when Donnie and I were kids. On the side of the house, in that big beautiful tree our little swing hangs as still as a frozen lake. I grasp the fraying ropes and climb onto the 2x4 made into a seat. I turn my back to the house and glue my tiptoes to the ground as I sway.

I let the tears that have been stinging my eyes for the last three years to finally fall as I hold onto the rough rope. I let my guard down, and allow my emotions to take over. I sniffle and wipe my tears as I stare at the tiny shed in the distance. I reminisce on the memories I have of dad in this yard. I think about everything he will miss out on too. For the first time I accept that this is really it, that in a few weeks he will be gone. He might be standing in the kitchen now, having the same loving moment he has had every day since he was married to my mom, but it’s the first time he has gotten out of bed in days. I know in my heart that he won't make it much longer, and it hurts even the deepest parts of me, the parts I didn’t know had feelings.

The light wind cools my warm tears enough to bring me out of my thoughts and back to reality. The sky is just past dusk, with dark shadows from the absence of the sun dancing over the yard. I didn’t even notice the sun going down, I was so lost in my thoughts.

My body jerks as someone grabs the swing from behind me, just as I’m about to yelp a hand covers my mouth. I try to jerk away, but the person's other hand is around my waist holding my back to them, keeping me from barreling off the swing. Teeth nibble at my neck, followed by a sweet kiss to my exposed shoulder that sends an electrical charge to all the atoms in my body. The scent of Lorenzo’s expensive Amberwood cologne hits me and my anxiety melts away along with any doubts that I had about him.

I relax in his hold and dissolve into his touch. His lips trace up my neck, stopping just below my ear. “I’ve been looking for you.” He whispers. He lets go of me slowly, giving my muscles a chance to flex where they need to so that I can balance on the swing without leaning against him. He comes around to the front of the swing and squats in front of me. His eyes flickering from lust to worry. “Why are you crying Mia?” His voice is velvety and almost a whisper.

I shake my head and force a smile, not wanting to go back to that place. His warm hand caresses my cheek while his eyes bore into mine. “Is it something I did?” his vexed expression is enough to make me open up, in fear that he will assume he hurt me.

“No, it’s my dad.”

Lorenzo stands up unexpectedly, taking his warm hand off my skin. He clears his throat and motions behind me. I peer over my shoulder and watch as two shadowy figures approach. – Donnie and Marco.

“Hey you found her.” Marco calls out, his expression knowing as he looks between Enzo and I.

“Dinners ready.” Donnie informs me, turning back around and heading towards the front door. Marco winks at me before he follows Donnie’s lead.

Once Lorenzo and I hear the door shut behind them as they enter the house, he puts his hand out for me to take and I do, standing up from the swing. He puts his arms around my shoulder in a casual way and walks with me up to the house. He dips down and kisses me on my cheek, “It’s not easy to watch a loved one slip through your fingers, kitten. Just spend as much time with him as you can because although you may feel unlucky right now, at least you know these are some of your last memories with him, and you can make them count.” He opens the door and motions for me to go inside. “Tell mom I’ll be right in. I need to make a phone call.”

I nod but before I can step away from him, he pulls me back into him and lowers his voice. “Stay with me tonight, Bellissima.” His question is more of a demand.

I gaze into his gorgeous eyes, getting lost in the blue pools that try to entice me. I giggle at his intense stare, “Maybe, but only if you answer one question.”

“Anything.” His husky whisper, less than a statement and more of a tease.

I brush my lips over his, but I don’t give him the kiss he longs for. “Are you in the Mafia, Lorenzo?”