Veiled Amor by V. Theia

SEVENTEEN

“There’s a time and a place. That might as well be now.” – Capone

 

 

The delicate hand sneaked across the table to dip a piece of waffle in his egg yolk for the third time. Keeping his smile at bay, Capone watched Lucia chewing, lost in her thoughts.

He’d given her time by ordering her favorite breakfast foods. Making sure to have extra on his plate because he knew now she was a food stealer. He’d polished off his steak and most of the eggs and was drinking a second coffee when another latte was delivered to their table. When he stacked their empty plates, he slid the beignets over to her. “I’m stress eating,” she declared with a sigh. “You should have stopped me.”

“And risk my fingers, nena?”

She laughed and picked apart the powdered sugar dessert. Some pieces made it to her mouth, and she moaned as she chewed.

“Tell me about your father.”

“You know everything.”

Capone was starting to believe he didn’t know half of what she’d been through with Nicholas Cole. It had been out of sight, out of mind, and he fucking hated himself for assuming she’d been safe. Being pampered didn’t always mean being happy. She’d fled a fifty million dollar mansion. That was not the decision of a happy woman. Now he needed to know everything.

“I thought he was at least taking care of you.”

“I wasn’t beaten if that’s what you’re asking.”

It wasn’t. But it was one less thing he could stop worrying over.

When she pushed the plate of beignet crumbs away, she cradled the latte cup in her hands.

No one held his attention like she did, though he scanned every new person through the door for signs of danger.

“Nicholas can hurt you in a thousand other ways than putting a bruise on you. Tell me why you’re so scared of going back to Miami.”

“Does it matter?” She asked. “I’m not going back.”

“No, you’re not.” He agreed roughly.

Capone let her set the pace; she stayed silent for a minute more. When she sighed, she lifted her eyes. “He only wants me to go home because I’m an asset. Though, god only knows why. It’s not like I have anything to offer. I’d be surprised if dad loves anyone. There have always been women around; he doesn’t date the same one for long. One of his women joked to dad when I was sixteen how pretty I was and how men would pay a lot to date me. She was never seen again.” Lucia paused and then went on. “A business associate offered dad a million dollars for me in front of everyone. He shot the guy in the head and instructed for the mess to be cleaned up, then they went back to their meeting like nothing happened, you’d assume those actions meant he loved me.”

Capone cursed low and nasty under his breath.

He’d made so many mistakes. He’d have to live with it for not taking Lucia away from Miami with him.

“When—after Santiago, dad made me go back to the main house. It was maybe a month later, he told me to pack a bag because I was going with one of his business friends to help him out.”

Capone’s head shot up, and he felt the pulse of pain in his temple. “Help him out… how?”

“It wasn’t as shady as I first thought, but I had a moment of panic when I was driven to his house. The guy needed a live-in nanny. I didn’t know at the time it was going to be for six months.”

A server came by the table to collect the dishes, and their conversation stalled. When she left, Lucia asked.

“Do you remember Tego Mendes?”

The fuck did he. The guy was bad news in Miami. He was one step down from Nicholas for being despicable. The talk was that his wife died under mysterious circumstances.

“It was his children I was taking care of.”

Goddamn. Capone felt the chill go through him. Her father had thrown her to the wolves. He was only grateful she was sitting here, able to tell him the story. “Were you treated well?”

“Oh, yes.” She smiled. “It was freeing to be away from home. I enjoyed looking after the kids, and Tego was good to me.”

The way she said the other man’s name put bile into Capone’s throat. When he stared at her, she looked up and blushed. He didn’t need confirmation to know there had been something between them.

The rage of jealousy roared through his ears.

He was such a fucking hypocrite, expecting Lucia not to have relationships. He’d always wanted her to be happy, but he knew it would kill him slowly to see another man was giving her that happiness.

Even now, as she told him about those six months watching Mendes’ kids, he had the urge to rip the other man’s name from her tongue.

His veins burned, but he had to ask. “Was there something between you?”

She blushed hard again. Capone fucking hated it, and he had no right to feel jealousy burning his skin off. She didn’t belong to him.

Tell that to his thumping heart.

“Not really.”

The burn hurt. And Capone’s voice didn’t sound like his when he prompted her. “Not really?”

“I liked him; he was sweet to me. I think more than anything, it was nice having someone treat me decently. But no, there was nothing physical between us. He made some suggestions about how he’d like that. Then I heard him on a call with my father, offering him two million for me. The next day, dad had me picked up from Tego’s house. Tego came by a few times to get me back. But when a man offers to buy you, it’s not a good feeling.”

Capone swore under his breath. His fist bunching on the table. “The asshole tried to buy you?”

“He said it was to get me away from dad.”

A tick worked his jaw, and he felt his eyes burning out of his fucking head as he looked across at her sweet face. In his mind, he shifted Santiago out of the way, and he put her together with Tego Mendes and all his organs boiled acid.

Hated it.

Fucking hated it.

Did she want to be with that guy?

Capone was a progressive man. Or so he thought. He opened doors and pulled out chairs for women; he protected them, was never abusive. But he hadn’t risen to the paragon heights of being the fucking man to accept his woman talking about being with someone else.

His woman.

He said it.

It was Capone’s name who Lucia cried out when he made her come. If she had any feelings for Mendes, he’d burn them out of her, one monstrous orgasm at a time.

Capone didn’t feel any different from Mendes because if he thought it would work, he’d pay millions for Lucia too. His intentions would be dirty and pure and coming from a place of need. Not to own her as a thing. It would be to worship her in the ways he’d only dreamed about.

He might think along the same lines as Mendes, but it didn’t stop him from hating the bastard. “Whatever was between you is over, don’t care if he strode through the door right now. I wouldn’t let you go to him.”

She looked taken aback. Her eyes round and dreamy. He knew he’d said the wrong thing the second Lucia smiled. “Is that so? What if he was rescuing me?”

“Too late.” He snapped, making her grin wider. “You’re already rescued. He can fuck off.”

“Giancarlo.” She squeezed out before she started laughing. “You’re so cute when you’re jealous.”

Jealous. She had no idea how possessive he felt about her, like a dog with its favorite toy. He mentally added Mendes to his hit list.

Jealousy was a look he didn’t care for.

What would he have done had she told him she was engaged or married to a guy? What would he have done if she’d been pregnant and happy?

Probably gone wild and then brooded for the rest of his life on what he’d lost because he couldn’t get past his hang-ups.

It made Capone an idiot.

They wanted each other. Crazily. That much was clear.

He could hardly take a breath without wanting to take her in his arms and inhale her in greedy gulps. He either needed to get over his shit or let her go.

“Excuse me, the formidable Giancarlo Capone Mercado doesn’t get jealous, does he?” She teased, eyes twinkling with mirth.

Rising to his feet, he fished out his wallet and rolled off two twenties, plus a tip, tossing the money on the table. “Have you had enough?”

“I’m full to the brim.”

Fuck’s sake. The image to flash through his mind was everything to do with filling Lucia to the brim. He growled under his breath, feeling unhinged.

No other woman in his life got Capone on edge this way. His blonde spitfire tied him in fucking knots, like a teenager vying for the attention of the prom queen. Capone had skipped out on his prom, too heavily into the biker scene. But he sure as hell would have shown up in a limo and dirty intentions had Lucia been around when he was eighteen.

“You look mad. What’s up, Gi?” She asked when they were on the street. The touch of her hand on his arm burned.

“I’m pissed off.” He told her truthfully.

“Do you want to share why?”

“How do you go from a man like your father to someone like Mendes?”

She snorted. A cute little sound. “If you weren’t paying attention, it wasn’t exactly my choice. My father told me I had to help this guy out. The maid packed for me, and I was escorted the next day. And then six months later, I was taken home as quickly.”

“Has he done that before, rented you out?”

“Jesus, Gi. Make me sound cheap, why don’t you.”

Frowning, he stopped her there on the sidewalk, saw how highlighted in color her face was, and he instantly regretted his choice of words. “I didn’t mean it like the way it came out, nena.” He leaned down and pressed his lips to her temple, asking for forgiveness.

“No, he hasn’t ever done that before. He didn’t even call to check up on me while I was in Tego’s house. The man could have killed me, and dad wouldn’t have known, so as much as he insists he wants me home, it has nothing to do with fatherly care.”

Just one more thing for Capone to feel explosive over.

If he’d stolen her from under Nicholas’ nose, she would have been better living the MC life.

He felt the bile rush up his throat, threatening to choke him to death. At his side, his two fists clenched until the bones were about to shatter.

“Goddamn it,” he cursed and then did it again in Spanish as he took her arm and all but dragged her across the street to the truck.

“Hey! You don’t have to be pissed at me. I didn’t have any choice. Don’t you think I’m mad too? What grown-ass woman can’t rule her own life?” She protested, yanking her arm back. It was only when Capone was unlocking the door for her he sighed, letting his head hang low on his neck.

“I’m not mad at you, Lucia. I’m fucking furious at the whole situation. I thought you were safe by leaving you with him. I didn’t know you’d be farmed out to a drug dealer lothario.”

It was the sound of chuckling that got Capone’s temper draining away. Lucia was in the process of half-climbing into the truck, eyes were lit like two stars, dancing with humor. “Lothario.” She giggled again and positioned herself on the seat.

The rest of his anger seeped away.

He could be mad, but he didn’t need to be mad at her because she liked another guy. Even one as shitty as Mendes.

Before he closed the door to walk around to his side, he said, “Fuck, you were right. I am jealous. Jealous, you feel something for Mendes.”

Her eyes softened as she smiled at him. The hand reaching out to cup his cheek about did him in. “I would have liked anyone giving me kindness, Giancarlo. But Tego wanted to own me in the same way as my dad. You don’t throw money to buy someone.” Tell that to Texas who’d paid for Poppy’s ransom, and then he made her his wife. He’d share that story with her another day. “I got swept up in feeling free, but that was a lie. I feel nothing for Tego. You don’t have to be jealous. He doesn’t kiss me like you do to make me forget my name.” She dared to add, biting on her lip, smiling.

Capone’s head reared up, and he pierced her with a stare hard enough until his cock hurt just thinking about kissing her again. “Don’t mention kissing that guy, any guy again, Lucia.” He warned, slamming her door. The little brat was still chuckling when he climbed in and started the engine.

“So cute,” he thought he heard her murmuring.

Cute. He’d show her cute if he pulled her across the seat and shoved his mouth where it hungered to be. See how cute she found him then.

“You know,” she started as he pulled away from the curb, heading back to the MC compound. “my nineteen-year-old self would have died a thousand deaths to see you jealous.”

Capone shot her a look to find her smiling his way.

He bit his tongue because all he wanted to ask was, what about Santiago? Shouldn’t you have been only thinking about him?

But the more he thought about it on the way to the MC, Capone knew using Santiago as an excuse to stay away from Lucia was becoming thinner by the day.

She was under his skin, burrowing in places no one else had been before.

It was Capone’s idea about sharing a bed. He was idiot enough to lap up any contact with her, but now he realized what a fucked up idea it was. He should find another bed in the compound tonight.

After several pool games where she whooped his ass and then watched a movie together, they climbed into the same bed. Capone woke in the night with her curled up in his arms, and he didn’t do a thing to stop it. He pulled her closer.

This would end soon enough. He was getting his fill of her while he could.

Yeah, even his dead relatives would laugh at that blatant lie.

He couldn’t let Lucia go.

Not now.

Never.

However many DO NOT ENTER signs he put up around her, he still edged closer.

A man needed his vices, and Lucia was his.