Arranged Mafia Marriage

Michael

She glances in my direction, and the expression on her face is laced with guilt. I prowl toward her and she tips up her chin. “Were you talking about me, Beauty?” I murmur and she huffs.

“My every conversation is not about you.”

“What were you two talking about, then?”

“None of your business.”

“Everything about you is my business,” I pause in front of her, “and you’d do best not to forget that.”

Xander clears his throat, and I shoot him a sideways glance.

“We were discussing the Christmas bash,” he explains.

“Is that right?” I turn to her, “That what’s got you tied up in knots, huh?”

“Exactly,” she snickers, “I am the one tied up in knots.” She exchanges a glance with Xander who chuckles.

“She’s been worried about finding a DJ for the party. It’s why I offered my services.”

“You’re going to DJ?” I scowl.

“Sure,” he raises a shoulder, “it’s no biggie. I did it at many of the parties during my university days.”

“And here I thought you spent most of your time painting.”

“Hey, we artists need to blow off some steam too, you know? Besides, music is a form of art, and DJing is simply a matter of arranging tunes into a pattern.”

“Whoa, you a poet too?” she comments, her tone filled with admiration.

I scowl.

“I have been known to write a poem or two,” Xander smirks.

I glower at him, “If you two have had enough of this mutual admiration society you’ve got going on here-”

Something brushes my leg. I glance down to find her kitten walking past me.Nôvel(D)rama.Org's content.

The beast heads over to Xander, who scoops him up. “Who do we have here? What’s your name, little fella?” he croons as he tickles the kitten under his chin.

“His name’s Andy,” she replies with a big smile.

“Hello Andy, what a fine-looking kitty you are, too.”

Andy purrs loudly, then rubs his head against the stronzo’s shirt. Traitor. Not only is my wife taken in with Xander, but her cat… The cat that I got for her seems to prefer his company to mine.

Good thing I trust Xander the most amongst all of my brothers; enough to not chew him out for spending time with her. Also, I can’t exactly keep her hidden away forever, much as that would be my preference. If there is anyone other than me that I’d choose for her to spend time with, then it would be him.

So, I content myself with simply glaring at Xander, who smirks back at me.

“Te ne devia fare in culo,” I growl and he laughs. The bastard laughs as he rises to his feet. He pats the kitten once more, then hands Andy over to me. As he leaves, I pull the beast closer to me. The animal strains in my grasp, and glances over at her. It mewls pitifully, and I frown.

“Aww,” she walks over to me and holds out her arms. The kitten promptly jumps onto her chest. She closes her arms about him, and he cuddles up against her breasts. I scowl at him, watch as he rubs his head up against the swell of her curves.

Only when her chin jerks up do I realize that I have growled aloud. Porca miseria! Apparently, I am jealous of a kitten?

I glare at the animal and she hugs him tighter to her chest. “Stop that,” she orders, “you’re scaring him.”

“Scaring him, my ass! He’s play-acting, just so he can get your sympathies.”

“Play-acting?” She laughs, “Animals don’t play-act. They are not like humans, who’ll stoop to any level to get their way.”

“Who are you talking about?”

“Who do you think?” she snaps

I fold my arms across my chest, “I have never play-acted.”

“Haven’t you?” She tosses her head, “You keep acting all tough and surly, but inside, you are as soft as…as that slushy thing which I had for breakfast.

“It’s called a granita,” I murmur, “and you must be mistaken. I don’t play-act, and I am definitely not soft inside.”

“Yes, you do, and yes, you are.”

“Not.” I harden my jaw

“Are.” She juts out her chin.

And why can’t I stop myself from rising to her bait, eh? I drag my fingers through my hair, “Look. Ever since I found out that you were pregnant… It’s…ah… Confused me.”

“Confused you?”

I nod, “When I think about your bringing my child into this world, it makes me feel like I am the most vulnerable person on this earth. What if my enemies got to either of you? If something were to happen to either of you, I’d… I don’t think I’d be able to take it.”

Her expression softens, “Nothing’s going to happen to either of us.”

“You’re that confident, eh?”

“No, I am that confident that you will take care of us.”

I stare into her features, that red-tinted hair that flows about her shoulders, those green eyes that sparkle at me, that tiny upturned nose, those beautiful pink lips that beg for me to lick them, thrust my tongue in between them and tangle with hers. The blood rushes to my groin and I am instantly hard. “You trust me to take care of you.”

“I trust you.” She holds my gaze, “I trust you to do what’s right for the two of us. I trust that you’ll never allow anything to harm us.”

A hot sensation stabs at my chest. I close the distance between us, cup her cheek, “When you say things like that, it completely wrecks me, you know that?” I lower my face to hers, when there’s an angry hiss from between us. Something sharp stabs at my chest… This time, for real. I wince, glance down to find the kitten has dug his claws into my shirt. He’s grazed the same wound-now healed-that his mistress had bestowed on me not too long ago.

“Oh, sorry, Andy,” she laughs. “Didn’t mean to crush you there.”

Wish I could say the same. I scowl down at the animal that glares back at me. Jesus, the cat has almost as much attitude as her. She reaches down, gently disentangles his claws from my shirt, then bends down to place him on the floor. He shakes his entire body, as if he’s tossing off any residue of my touch, then struts off toward his basket in the corner of the room.

She straightens, then peers up at me from under her eyelashes. I hold her gaze and her cheeks pinken.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she murmurs.

“Like what?”

She raises her shoulder, “Like you’ve never seen me before?”

“Maybe I haven’t. Maybe I have underestimated you all along. Maybe, if I had known how you were going to turn my life upside down, I’d have run from you the first time I laid eyes on you.”

She blinks, “Is that a compliment? Because I am not sure.”

“It is,” I push the hair off of her forehead, “a compliment. It takes a lot to surprise me, and I can safely say that you have done so at every turn, my Beauty.”

“And you, my Capo,” she goes up on her tip-toes and presses a kiss to the side of my neck, which is all she can reach, “constantly challenge me. You make me want to push myself to keep up with you. You make me want to reinvent myself so I can hold my own against you.”

“Is that good or bad?”

“I am not sure,” she says with a gleam in her eyes, then yelps when I pat her behind.

“What was that for?” She frowns.

“Couldn’t help it. Your posterior is so beautifully rounded, that when I am near you, I have to squeeze it.”

She reaches behind and grabs a hold of my butt, “Now we’re even.” She pouts, “Don’t expect to cop a feel without-” She stutters as I grip her under her ass and hoist her up. She wraps her legs around my waist.

“Now we are even,” I smirk.

She scowls, “That’s not fair.”

“Life’s not fair, baby.” I pivot, head for the door, and she peers up at me.

“Where are you taking me?”

“To dinner.”

“Dinner, but-”

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“It’s not that. It’s just…” She hesitates and I pause glance down at her.

“If we stay here, I am going to fuck you and that’s not what I want.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t want to hurt you, not when you are in this condition.”

“I am pregnant, not unwell.”

“Exactly,” I nod, “this early in the pregnancy, it’s best to be safe.”

“Is that what the doctor said?”

I hesitate and she huffs, “See? That’s what I mean; I don’t know where you got it into your head that just because I am pregnant, you can’t make love to me.”

“I’d rather wait until it’s completely safe to do so.”

“But the doctor never said any such thing.”

“It’s what I am saying.”

“So, now you know better than the doctor?”

“Let’s just say that when it comes to your well-being, I am taking no chances.”

“This is ridiculous.” She pouts. “I want you to fuck me and you are turning me down?”

“Oh, trust me. There’s nothing I’d rather do more, but in this case, there’s something more important than you and me at stake here.”

She frowns, “You mean the baby?”

“Our baby.” I nod, “I’d rather you feel better before I fuck you again.”

She throws up her hands, “I’ve never heard anything crazier than that. I mean, are you hearing yourself? You’re all worried for no reason.”

“I’d rather be more careful than not.”

She blows out a breath, “I am not changing your mind on this, am I?”

I shake my head.

“Fine, whatever,” She folds her arms across her chest, stares straight ahead, as I head out of the door. I walk down the stairs and to the terrace on the first floor. I cross the breadth of it to a sheltered alcove and she draws in a breath, “What’s this?”