Seized Mafia Bride by Mae Doyle

Mia

It’s dark in the room when I feel Lorenzo climb into bed with me. I groan a little, rolling over so that I’m facing him. I can’t see him, but I feel him close to me and can feel his warm breath as he breathes.

It’s comforting and I snuggle up to his chest, putting my head under his chin so that I fit perfectly against him.

Even though I’ve tried to put my finger on it, I’m not entirely sure when the two of us really connected. When I really managed to put aside how I felt, not only about him, but also about me, and let myself be loved by him.

“You smell funny,” I tell him, pressing my nose up to his chest so that I can get a better sniff. “I don’t know if I like it.”

“Then take a shower with me.” His words rumble through me, I’m pressed so hard up against his chest, that it’s difficult for me to take a deep breath, but I shake my head.

“I’m so sleepy.” Even just saying the words is enough to make me yawn. Rolling over right now and falling sleep with his body curled up behind me sounds like heaven, and I’m about to try to do that when he grabs my hip, squeezing it and pulling me closer to him so that I can’t put any distance between the two of us or roll over.

“You won’t be when I get my hands on you.” He runs his hands over my hips and cups my ass, pulling me closer to him. “I’m dirty, Mia. Clean me up.”

Shivers run though me at his words and the low tone of his voice. How can any man want me the way that he seems to? Not only that, how can a man like Lorenzo want me like that? It blows my mind and I even though I believe him and trust him, little whispers of doubt form in the back of my mind.

“Lorenzo,” I say, summoning all of the courage that I can and propping myself up on my elbow, “what is this?”

“What is what?” His fingers drag a lazy line from my ass back to my hip where he pauses for just a moment before slipping his hands up along my ribs. The sensation makes me shiver and I scoot closer to him.

“This. Us.” Taking a deep breath, I chew on my lower lip for a moment while I try to decide what else to say. “I know that you said that you wanted me, and you took me, but...”

My voice trails off as I try to think about what to say.

“Us?”

“Us,” I say, nodding. “You saved me and now...”

“Now I could let you go, but I’m not going to.” Reaching up, he grips my chin, turning my head so that I have to look at him. “I thought that I made it very clear just a short while ago how important you are to me, Mia. I don’t give a shit what you think about yourself, I’m not letting you go.”

“But I’m nobody,” I hear myself saying. I swear, I don’t even realize that I’m going to say the words until they’re out of my mouth and I can’t take them back. They hang in the air between us like daggers just waiting for the moment to fall and hurt one of us.

“I hope you fuck that you don’t mean that.”

“I don’t know what I mean.” Forcing myself to sit up, I swing my legs over the bed. I have to move, have to get away from him just so I can get a better grip on what’s happening right now. “I just don’t get it!”

Turning, I stare at Lorenzo. He’s sitting up now, his eyes wide as he takes me in. It’s obvious that I’ve blown his mind and he isn’t sure what to say, but I don’t feel bad about that. I don’t feel...anything, actually. Just the cool wood floor under my bare feet and the way my heart hammers out an unsteady beat as I stare at him.

“You better fucking get it,” he says, slipping from the bed. I tense, ready to run. It’s what I do best, what I’ve always done, but Lorenzo must see what’s about to happen in my eyes because he grabs me, pulling me close to him, his hard cock pressing into me.

“You need to get it through your head just how important you are to me,” he tells me, running his teeth along my neck. The sensation is electric and I stiffen, willing my body not to respond to him.

But it does. I feel my nipples harden and the familiar warmth between my legs.

“I know that you’ve been treated like crap, Mia, but that’s over. I killed for you without any hesitation, and I’d do it again. Anyone who tries to hurt you, I will kill them. They upset you? I’ll do whatever you want to make you feel better.”

I want to spin away from him and run, but he holds me tight and I can’t back away.

“It doesn’t matter to me what you’ve been through or what I have to do to keep you. You belong to me. I have every piece of you and I’ll put you back together time and time again after you break if that’s what it takes. When are you going to learn that I’m serious? That I don’t say things just to say them? That I mean every single word and that I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe and keep you mine?”

My jaw drops open and my heart hammers away. “I want to believe you, I really do,” I say, “but...”

“But what? What the hell do you honestly think could be more believable than what I’m saying to you right now? You belong to me, Mia. I don’t know how to make that more clear.” Lorenzo stares at me for a moment like he’s really seeing me for the first time and I shift uncomfortably as I wait to hear what he’s going to say.

My mind buzzes with a retort but I can’t seem to open my mouth to speak. I want to believe him. I do.

I really, really do.

Then why the fuck am I fighting this?

He releases me and steps away, turning and walking to the bedside table. Even though I want to go to him, I just stare, watching as he moves away.

“What are you doing?” I finally ask. My tongue is thick in my mouth but I manage to get it unstuck enough to speak.

“Proving my point.” He doesn’t look back at me when he speaks, but pulls open the top drawer and grabs something before slamming it shut with his hip and coming back to me. “Since you obviously don’t believe what I’m saying, I have to make my point another way.”

“What are you talking about?” I ask, but the light reflecting off of what’s in his hands makes my jaw drop open and I can’t say another word.

“Marry me, Mia. Maybe then you’ll see how serious I am about keeping you safe and making sure that nothing ever hurts you. Marry me.”

My eyes flick from the ring in his fingers up to his face. Surely he’s going to be laughing, but there isn’t any glint of humor in his dark eyes. He looks serious, more serious than I’ve ever seen him before, and that makes me nervous.

“I don’t—”

“You do. Marry me. This isn’t difficult. It isn’t rocket science. It’s you understanding that someone is going to take care of you for the first time in your life. It’s you accepting that you’re worthy of that love.”

“You really mean it?” I feel ridiculous, but I can’t seem to say anything else. Here he is proposing to me and I’m staring at him with an open mouth like I’m a fucking fish or something.

“Oh, fuck, Mia.” Lorenzo groans and scrubs his hand across his face before moving quickly and grabbing my hand. Before I even know what he’s doing, he has the ring on my finger. It’s a perfect fit, the diamond so damn sparkly that I can barely drag my gaze away from it. “When are you going to learn just how amazing you are?”

I don’t have an answer for that. Instead, I somehow manage to tear my eyes away from the ring adorning my finger and look up at him. He’s staring at me like he’s never seen me before.

“I’ll marry you,” I tell him, with a nod. “Under one condition.”

“I can’t wait to hear what it is,” he says, scooping me up into his arms and tossing me back on the bed. “After I fuck you again. It’s been too long since I’ve been in your cunt.”

I laugh, scooting back on the bed. “It’s been half an hour!”

“Too long,” he repeats, shaking his head. “Too fucking long. Maybe you’ll get it soon enough, Mia, but I can’t handle not having you.”

I never tell him what the condition is. But it doesn’t matter. I know he loves me.