Blood & Marriage (Dark Mafia Romance) (3 page)

I stared at him, suddenly unsure why I’d followed him in the
first place. “I just... I wanted to say thank you...for helping Rosa. No one
else noticed what was going on.”

Santo ran his fingers through his hair and let out a long
exhale. “Ah, that. No problem.” His features softened slightly, and he offered
me a cigarette.

I pushed it right back, because I didn’t smoke. “And if you
could not give mixed signals to Mona...that would be great,” I said quieter.
“She’s only sixteen. I think you’re too much for her.”

Santo lit himself a cigarette and moved farther into the car
as if daring me to join him. “Oh, she looks older. It was just a bit of
innocent fun.”

“It might be innocent to you, but you need to think of the
effect you have on people,” I said, unhappy with his carefree attitude. Typical
man. He probably thought it was as easy for us women as it was for him to deal
with this divide between sex and romance. Maybe it would have been—in a
different world.

And there it was, that sly smile despite the cigarette in
his mouth. “What effect do I have on people?”

I stalled, my whole body burning within seconds. “Why do you
keep teasing me?” I asked in the end, in the hope of diverting his attention.
“Tell me about my future husband.”

Santo raised his eyebrows and patted the dark leather
upholstery next to him. Only when I sat inside and closed the door behind me
did he speak. “He’s lived in the US for the last few years, away from his
family. I think your marriage is to solidify his position back home.”

I licked my lips, keeping my distance. The limo was huge,
with a whole cupboard of liquor and multiple seats lined with pink and black
leather, but as I sat next to him, the space seemed to shrink around us. “No.
What I wanted to know is... is he a nice person?” I asked, entwining my fingers
in my lap.

There was something about the close quarters that made Santo
seem more dangerous than before. Maybe it was the phone call that has made him
so tense? Or I was just projecting my own nervousness onto him. I’d spent
enough time around smokers for cigarettes not to bother me, but the way the
smell gathered in the limo seemed to only make the air between us thicker.

Santo put an arm over the back of the seat. “When I last saw
him, I guess I could say he seemed…
nice
. Is that what you want? A
nice
guy?” I hated the hint of mockery in his tone.

I clenched my teeth. “Well, what would you want in my place?
The last thing I want is to end up with someone...unstable,” I said, catching
my breath. There was nothing wrong with wanting a kind husband. Nothing good
came out of passion, which would surely burn out, leaving resentment that could
easily turn into violence.

Santo’s dark eyebrows gathered into a frown and he exhaled
some smoke, watching me for a while. It was unnerving, but at least he seemed
to really be giving my question consideration.

“In your place, Lucrezia, I would look not for a ‘nice’ man,
but for a man who can keep you safe.” His green gaze locked with mine, and all
of a sudden I wished I smoked, so I’d have something to do with my hands. “Seth
is not that kind of man.”

I clutched at my own hands, sinking into the seat. “Keep me
safe? Why wouldn’t I be safe?”

“Your father must have told you, you will be the wife of the
future Villani family Don. A man like that attracts trouble. The kind of
trouble that isn’t diffused by being nice.” His deep, warm voice filled the car
like the smoke, making me both suffocate and crave more of it.

My heart thudded in my chest as if it wanted to get away,
and yet my body was heavy, sitting firmly so close to Santo’s warmth. “And I
suppose you think you’re the kind of man I need? How many wives of your
associates are you
protecting
?” I asked, trying to be cool about all
this, even though his words struck a chord in my deepest fears.

Santo shook his head, his gaze reminding me of a lizard’s.
He was not Prince Charming. He was the dragon. “Oh, no. You got it all wrong.
I’m the opposite of a bodyguard. You are an exception. And actually, yes, I
might be just the man you need. But you can’t have me, because I will not be
the future Don, and that’s who your father wants you to marry.”

I was speechless. Being told I couldn’t have him shouldn’t
have made me so numb, but it did anyway. I looked away, shaken by all those
revelations. “If I can’t have you, then what were you playing at? Was this a
test?”

A shiver went down my spine when his warm fingertips brushed
over my shoulder. “I never offered you marriage.”

I snorted involuntarily and almost rubbed my face before
remembering all the carefully-applied makeup. “Then you’re putting me in
danger. You know this. I can’t just go around sleeping with any man I like.”

“You’re not married yet, and it’s not like you’re a
virgi--are you?” He cocked his head to the side and put out his cigarette.

I took in a deep breath, shocked by the question. “That’s
none of your business. And I know men like you. You see I’m in a bad position,
and you’re trying to use it against me.”

“Men like me?” Santo let out a bark of a laugh. “You have no
idea.”

“Oh, really? I grew up among men like you.” And yet being
alone with him was still unnerving, and I wasn’t sure anymore if I was afraid
or excited.

“You like that kind of life? You’re looking forward to
becoming Seth Villani’s wife?”

I took a deep breath to calm down. “I don’t want to give my
father any trouble. Nothing good can come out of doing so,” I said, despite
knowing he could never understand my position.

But something in him changed, and I couldn’t pinpoint it. He
slowly entwined our fingers, as if giving me time to pull away if I wanted to.
“There’s only so much we can choose in our lives, isn’t there?”

I exhaled, relaxing to the warm touch that was surprisingly
tender. “I just wish I wasn’t so restricted in what I can and cannot do. Father
wouldn’t even let me choose my wedding dress,” I said, biting on my lips. I was
sure he wouldn’t get it. For him, it was just a pretty piece of fabric designed
to make an impression, but without choosing my own clothes, I felt more naked
than without any clothes at all.

“I guess the dress
is
more important than the
husband,” he joked, playing with my fingers, but his words were good-natured.

I couldn’t help but laugh, but I didn’t push him away,
enjoying the comfort of his hands. “Well, most girls plan their weddings long before
there can be a husband in the picture.”

Santo’s closeness didn’t seem intimidating anymore, even if
the scent of his cologne still kept me on edge. “Marriage is where I drew the
line. I do…things for the Family, but I will not have anyone tell me who to
marry.”

“That’s the problem, isn’t it? There isn’t anything else I
can do for my family,” I said, noticing that I’d turned toward him at some
point. How had I missed that?

“We’ve all got duties.”

I wondered if his ‘duties’ made him end up with a huge scar
on his neck, but I didn’t dare ask.

An idea appeared in my head, pushing its way right to the
forefront of my mind as I glanced into his eyes, which weren’t reptile-like
anymore, but kind, even if still cool. “Would you do something for me?”

He gave me a half-smile, but his eyes sparked with
amusement. “I can’t kill your future husband for you, babe.” Funny that he’d be
the second one to suggest that.

I chuckled and shook my head. “No. Could you take something
back with you for me? My sister can’t do it.”

His face lost its smile. “I can’t promise until I know what
it is.”

“A wedding dress,” I said quickly, chewing on my lip in
anticipation.

Santo’s hand snaked its way to my hip, and he played with
the hem of my dress. The dragon was back, his eyes focused on me and me only.
“That could be arranged.”

All air left me as I slumped into the seat, so heavy I
couldn’t possibly drag my body away from him. And I already anticipated a ‘but’
in there somewhere. “Yes?”

He leaned closer and kissed my ear, sending a shiver all the
way down my body. “Yes, but you have to offer me a good deal.” The tip of his
fingers slid under the hem of my dress, massaging my thigh.

I stiffened, resting both my hands on the seat as his
fingertips trailed up my sensitive skin. I had expected this and still asked
for him to help me out. I should have known better.

But that hand felt so good it made something tighten and
throb all over my lower body. Stifling a gasp, I looked into his eyes, trying
to stay as calm as possible. I didn’t want to give him the wrong idea. Or
rather, I didn’t want him to get the
right
idea. “Yes?” I asked again.

Santo’s warm lips slid to my neck. “We both know what I want
a taste of,” he whispered, and I was going frantic. Was I about to offer myself
up for a dress? Or was the dress only an excuse for what I truly wanted?
Because no man had ever been this close to me, no man had ever kissed me before
him, and no man’s hand had ever been so far up my dress.

“I’ll let you touch me,” I whispered, and my hand slowly
trailed to his chest, sensing the steady, firm heartbeat beneath his shirt.
Would Seth also feel this way? Or I was being silly because he was my first
kiss?

“With my lips?” His tongue trailed down my neck and all the
way to my collarbone. Would he be able to
taste
my excitement?

When his hand slid up higher, all the way until the fingers
crawled up the lace of my panties, I almost forgot the question. Almost.

“I...” It was an obscene idea, and my thoughts drifted to
the lingerie I was wearing. Thankfully, it was a nice new pair, so I didn’t
have to be embarrassed about that, but shyness inched its way up my spine and
made me shudder against him. “You promise?” I whispered, leaning in closer to
his face, to those tobacco-flavored lips.

The scratch of his stubble against my skin reminded me I was
dealing with a testosterone-fuelled beast, and if he decided he wanted to go
further than I wished him to, I’d be at his mercy. Was I willing to take that
risk? Was I able to trust him?

“I promise I will hand-deliver whichever wedding dress you
pick.” His voice was even lower than before, and he nuzzled me under my jaw as
his hands pulled up my dress. Was I ready for this? Was anyone ever ready? How
obscene was it to speak of a wedding with another man when all I wanted right
now was Santo’s attention?

Out of breath, I touched his jaw and nudged him closer,
opening up for the kiss that made me shiver in anticipation of his fingers
exploring more of me. “All right then,” I whispered into his mouth, spreading
my knees slightly when his fingertips ghosted over my underwear. My skin felt
so sensitive there. It was never as ticklish when I touched myself, but just a
gentle brush of Santo’s hand, and I was arching into him.

He leaned away instead of kissing me, and for a split second
my heart broke when I thought it has all been an elaborate prank to test the
chastity of a cousin’s future wife, but Santo only pulled away to press the
button that locked all the doors from the inside.

The finality of the clicking sound made me jump, but his
lips were right back on mine to soothe my anxiety. His tongue opened me up and
explored my mouth in languid movements that lulled me into closing my eyes. I
couldn’t force myself to feel guilty about it. I hadn’t even seen Seth’s face,
let alone spoken to him or kissed him, when what I had here with Santo was
tangible.

He tasted of an intoxicating mixture of smoke and lemonade
that he must have had earlier, and I was pulling on his clothes before I could
even think about it. It was as if my body wasn’t completely my own anymore, but
a separate entity that wanted Santo on top of it.

I squeezed my thighs around him, arching up until my
sensitive nipples rubbed against his clothes but when he slipped his fingers
under the lace of my underwear and slid them against my pussy, I couldn’t stop
the groan that escaped my lips.

Nothing could have prepared me for the intensity of emotions
Santo’s touch evoked. Even though I knew it wasn’t the ‘proper’ thing to
imagine, I still envisioned those fingers sliding into me and petting me until
I came.

His groan answered mine and I opened my eyes to see how his
handsome face looked when he was excited. Dark eyelids half-covered Santo’s
eyes, and under his tan skin I could still see a flush. His breath was heavier,
just like mine, and it seemed that our pulses synchronised when we touched.

Santo slipped a hand into my tight dress, and I opened my
eyes wider when I realized I wasn’t wearing a bra, since the dress provided
enough support for my size. I worried over what he would think of that for only
a second, because the lust that colored his face when he squeezed my naked
breast made me imagine much more than kissing and touching. It made me imagine
the cock, no doubt, hardening in his pants, and the way he’d stared at me at
the pool, as if he’d wanted to eat me alive.

What if someone comes looking for us?
I wanted to ask,
but couldn’t bring myself to spoil the moment with my worries. Santo had more
experience than me in this. He’d take care of it somehow, like he took care of
my breasts, touching them with the right amount of pressure to make my pussy
twitch with excitement. I moaned into his mouth, rolling my hips so rapidly I
raised him off me.

I used to care that he’d know how attractive I found him,
but I didn’t anymore.

The smug smile on his face when he leaned down to kiss my
nipple was no longer a nuisance, but an attractive feature, because I knew it
preceded more pleasure.

I whimpered when his thumb gently teased my clit and he
sucked on the skin right next to my nipple, as if to leave a mark. I didn’t
care how I would explain a hickey on my breast to Seth. I wanted Santo to never
stop what he was doing.