Stolen Mafia Bride by Mae Doyle
Marcelo
It’s been a month since I took off Tess’ collar and put it back in my closet. Every morning when I get dressed I see it sitting there on a shelf, a reminder of how we got started and where we could still be.
I didn’t want to box it up or get rid of it for the longest time, just in case we needed it again. I honestly didn’t think that we would, but if there’s something that my life has taught me, it’s that you can’t ever be too careful.
Be careful when choosing who the family works with. Be careful when choosing what banks you deal with. Always be careful when choosing who you’re going to stick your cock into, and if you plan on putting a ring on them, then be extra careful.
“Are you about ready for dinner?” Tess walks into the bedroom and glances at me. I’m standing in front of the mirror, putting on my cufflinks, but I don’t turn to look at her. I can see her just fine in the reflection.
“Of course. Are you?” It’s important to me that she’s happy and I want this meal to go well. It’s the first time that she has sat down and really talked to Salvatore and Arabelle since I found her and brought her to the house. According to Salvatore, Arabelle has been dying to meet Tess because they have so much in common.
She’s not wrong.
“Yes, of course.” She smooths down the front of her dress. It’s one that I bought and had delivered to the house just this morning. Even though she always acts like it’s no big deal, I know that she loves getting little random gifts from me. It makes her feel good and, honestly, that’s what I want.
She’d had a shit life up until she met me. Hell, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that the two of us got off on a bit of a rocky start. Now I have her, though, I want to make sure that she’s happy all the time. She’s the most important thing to me and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to keep her happy.
Even though she puts on a tough exterior, I know what my little kitten is thinking, and I cross the room to her, pulling her into my arms. She’s so small when pressed up next to my body that it makes me want to protect her. Bending my head, I kiss the top of hers, enjoying the way her perfume smells.
“You know that you have nothing to worry about,” I tell her. “Salvatore is my brother, but if you two don’t get along then I’ll just cut him out of my life.”
She laughs, tilting her head up to look at me. “You’re full of shit, Marcelo. Everyone knows that the Bonanno family stays together, no matter what. From what I’ve seen and been told, there’s nothing on this earth that can tear the Bonannos apart.”
I cock an eyebrow at her. She’s right but it’s still a little uncanny how perfectly she hit it on the head. “You think that you’re not strong enough to pull us apart, Kitten?”
“Cunt is cunt,” she says, pulling away from me a bit so that she can wave her hand in the air dismissively. “You know as well as I do that blood is thicker than...” she flaps her hand at her crotch. “This.”
“Is that what you think?” Grabbing her hip, I pull her close to me. It’s too damn bad that my brother will be here soon because I’d love nothing more than to yank that dress up over her hips and fuck some sense into her. That will have to wait until later, but I have no qualms about showing my little kitten just how important she is to me.
“I mean,” she says, letting her voice trail off as she trails her fingers down my stomach. “I know that you could buy up every brothel this side of the Mississippi if you wanted to...”
“And you think that I want to?” I grind my cock into her hand. “Feel that, Kitten. That’s for you. Only for you. I want to be in you, fucking you and feeling you from the inside every second of every fucking day. This dinner is an inconvenience. I’ll cancel it.”
I reach for my pocket like I’m really going to tell my brother to go to hell, but she laughs and grabs my arm, pulling it so that I wrap it around her. “Don’t be ridiculous,” she tells me, going up on her toes to kiss me. “We both know that he’d burn your house down.”
This makes me laugh and I kiss her hard, my mouth claiming hers. I put everything into that kiss to let her know how important she is, working her tongue with mine until she finally pulls back, breathless and flushed.
“That’s just a taste of what’s to come later,” I promise her, squeezing her ass. I’m sure that it’s a little sore after all of our play last night, and sure enough, she sucks in a breath and pulls away from my touch. “You sore, Kitten?”
Tess laughs and bats her eyes, which only serves to make me want to pull her closer to me to kiss her. “I think that if you have to ask that, then it’s my turn to show you how it feels.”
“Not a chance in hell.” I give her a light kiss, then grab her wrist and pull her with me from the room. “You haven’t been downstairs yet, have you?”
She shakes her head, chewing on her lower lip. I made her promise me that she wouldn’t go down there until I told her that it was time, and even though I figured that she would be a good girl and listen, you never know with Tess. She’s headstrong and focused, and while those are two of the things that I love about her, I also know that she doesn’t always comply.
“I’ve done exactly as you asked,” she tells me, carefully walking down the stairs behind me. “And anytime that you want to explain why the hell everything was kept so secret, I’m all ears.”
“I’m sure you are.” We cut through the kitchen and I lead her out onto the back deck. It’s gorgeous outside, with a slight breeze and the sun just getting ready to set over the trees. I couldn’t have asked for better weather for the night.
“Marcelo, what is all this?” She sucks in a gasp and pauses, so I turn to look at her. I want to watch her face when she looks at everything that I’ve had done for her.
My back deck has been transformed. While it’s always had an incredible view of the gardens and the yard, there are now fairy lights strung up all around the deck and along the paths through the garden. As it gets darker out they’ll only become more beautiful, casting soft light throughout the entire space.
Huge lanterns hang from the trees, their flames flickering in the gathering dark. The table has been set for four, with my finest china and crystal, and huge bouquets of flowers decorate the sides of the deck. They’re punctuated with large white feathers and move and flow in the wind.
When I give a nod to the corner of the deck, a string quartet begins to play, their music floating through the air. Tess turns, a grin on her face, and stares at the musicians for a moment before finally tearing her eyes away from them to look at me.
“What is all of this?” She looks happy, much happier than I’ve seen her before, and I sweep her into my arms, pulling her close to me.
“This is what dinner can look like every single night if that’s what you want,” I tell her. My fingers dance down her bare spine and she gives a little shiver, burrowing closer to my chest.
“There’s my brother.” Salvatore’s voice booms through the air and Tess twists in my arms to look at him. He gives her the once-over and then grabs my hand, pulling me in for a hug. “What the hell is all of this out here?” He asks, turning to look around the deck.
“I’m Airy,” his wife says, walking up and introducing herself to Tess. “And I agree, Marcelo. You’re either about to propose or tell us that you have some terminal illness. Which one is it?” She pops out her hip a little bit and plants her hand on it, looking right up at my face.
