Owned by the mafia boss

MICHAEL

Carmela’s eyes shot fire.

As soon as I put the kids to bed, she’d stalked into the walk-in closet. She unzipped her dress and hurled the delicate fabric into the corner. She kicked off her heels, her mouthwatering curves on full display. Carmela slipped the bra straps from her shoulders. Her gaze burned with unshed tears as she removed every barrier, and my cock swelled, indifferent to her pain.

But I wasn’t. “What are you doing?”

“Giving you what you want.”

Carmela palmed my chest and shoved, hard enough to knock me backward. She didn’t understand what her rage did to me, the dangerous impulses it stirred. “All you ever wanted was a body to use and a mind to fuck with.”

“You know that’s not true.”

“I have no idea who you are anymore. Only that you’re a liar and a disgrace to your children.”

“That’s why I married you. You’re their moral compass.” I stepped back, reining in my boiling feelings. “Carm, all I’ve done has been for us.”

“You broke into my email!”

“I had a strong hunch you were lying when I asked you about your brother-in-law. Your story was laughably thin. Yeah, I read your emails. Want an apology? Look elsewhere.”

“Fuck you.”

“My children are more important than Alessio, and his absence threatened their safety. Do you read the news? It’s getting worse out there. Partly because he left us without his contacts. I’m not sorry for manipulating Alessio.”

“Because you’re a bastard.”

“You’re not mad I hoodwinked him. You’re upset because you think I betrayed you. I didn’t. I’ve always been in your corner.”

“You violated my privacy!”

Why was she stuck on one minor detail? “Go through my messages. I don’t give a damn.”

I tossed my phone onto the carpeted floor. I expected her to glance through my cell, but she shook her head like I was dangerous.

“I can’t be with you.”

My insides twisted. “Why?”

“Because it’s not just the email. You lied about my dad. You were dishonest about everything. I feel stupid for believing in you. Marrying you was a huge mistake. I’m taking the kids for a few days.”

“You want to rip out my heart, too? I can’t live without them.”

And that included her.

“Go to hell.”

She choked, her words laced with so much bitterness that my skin tingled. She trembled, her hands balled into fists. Carmela was furious, and that gave me hope.

She cared.

So I confessed the last thing I was hiding.

“Carmela, I love you.”

The color drained from her face. She seized a suitcase, turned it on its side, and packed it with stacks of clothing. Suddenly, she couldn’t leave fast enough.

“I love you.”

“Stay away.”

I hadn’t moved a muscle. “Why?”

“Because you’re scaring me. You don’t love me, Michael.”

“I’ve never felt this way about anyone.”

“That’s called infatuation.”

She was wrong.

I loved her.

The realization didn’t come in a Hallmark-worthy moment with confetti and fireworks. It was a slow burn. Her picture was a screensaver on my fucking phone before I admitted it to myself. She was on my mind all the time, and I’d started to think crazy things.

“It’s love.”

“No, Michael. You love what I’ve done for you.”

“Why can’t it be both?”

“I’m saying it’s not.” She paced the walk-in closet, her teeth clenched so hard they ground together. “That’s the problem with men like you.”

“Why are you such in a hurry to dismiss my feelings?”

“The last man almost loved me to death.”

“Carmela, I’m not him.” I watched her freeze when I took her hand. “I love you. What do I have to do to prove it?”

“I-I don’t know.”

“Don’t I show you that I care? Haven’t I been there? I’ve given you everything you’ve asked for. What else do you need? Tell me, and it’s yours.”

“This is too intense.” Patches of heat burned high on her cheeks. “I need a break from you.”Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

But I didn’t want a break. I wanted her in my arms, on the bed, the sofa, in my office, anywhere and everywhere. “You’ve lit a fire inside me. How am I supposed to put it out?”

“Figure it out.”

“I already have. I love you.”

“Shut up.” Tears squeezed from her eyes as she shook her head. “You don’t love me!”

“Yes, I do. Because if I didn’t? I would’ve killed your dad when he threatened to come after my children.”

“He wouldn’t do that!”

“He said it, Carmela.” I rubbed my neck, remembering Ignacio’s parting shots after our wedding. “I was all set to let him go, but then he ran his fucking mouth.”

“What did you do with my parents?”

“I spared them. For you. I went against instinct and common sense because I love you.”

“Where are they?”

“Italy. They’re fine.” I sighed as she trembled. “I kept it from you because I was worried you’d hate me.”

“I do. I fucking hate you!”

Her indifference would’ve stung, but the rage got my blood flowing.

“Baby-”

Her hand whirled, crashing into my ear. My skin flared with the brutal slap, and Carmela uttered a horrified gasp, backing into the closet.

This was sick.

I shouldn’t.

I grasped her wrist as she swung again, yanking her into my chest. I leaned forward, my nose touching hers. I swallowed her whispered fuck you, and claimed her mouth.

She shuddered as my lips stroked hers. She gasped, and I deepened the kiss. My tongue chased her honeyed flavor as I kissed her harder-

Her fist crashed into my jaw.

I staggered back, stunned by the unexpected pain, and then I snatched her wrist. I pinned her against the wall, my heart hammering.

No violence.

“Apologize.”

“No.”

“Apologize, or I’ll punish you.”

“I’m sorry that your upbringing was so fucked up that you turned into a sadistic human being.” Her passion broke as she dissolved into tears. “I’m sorry I trusted you. I’m sorry I thought we could raise a child. I’m sorry I ever laid eyes on you.”

I grabbed the collar from the shelf and wrapped her neck. I latched it on before she’d tugged it off, and then I hissed in her ear.

“I’m not sorry for any of it.”

The darkness burst forth. Everything I’d built to stave off my worst impulses crumbled. All that I’d locked away rushed toward Carmela.

I dragged her to the mattress. There was nothing loving about how I shoved her onto the bed. I climbed over her. Greed had consumed me. She tangled her fingers in my hair. She didn’t pull or push. She watched me with a seething fury that was so fucking hot.

She tipped her head, taunting me with a half-open pout. Her skin baked with the heat of contempt. “I hate you.”

“Show me. Use your mouth, not your words.”

Carmela seized my jaw and smashed her lips into mine. I peeled off my jacket, and then the shirt. My belt slapped my slacks as I ripped it off. Carmela tore my body as every barrier disappeared. My naked chest molded into her tits as we made out with frenzied, biting kisses. Blood seeped onto my tongue, the metallic tang swimming with her sweet vanilla, a taste I’d corrupted.

She raked me. Her nails dug into my ass like tiny puncture wounds of hate. I welcomed the pain. She could batter me, scratch me bloody, or scream. It didn’t matter.

I’d always love her.

Especially her tits. I licked them as she moaned. I swirled her nipple. Her grip softened. I kissed between her breasts, under her ribs, where her heartbeat slammed, and down her belly. I thrust her thighs apart, fingers gliding along her seam. I toyed with her as she lay still, fists digging into the sheets.

“Oh, now you want me?”

“Shut up.”

Her insolence shot a red-hot wave down my spine. She deserved to have my handprint permanently etched on her butt, so I flipped her and fisted her hair. I pulled the strands, forcing her to arch. Then I cracked my palm on her ass.

She twisted around, her cheeks blazing. “The fuck are you doing?”

“Disciplining my wife.”

Carmela wrenched free. I seized her wrists and pinned them above her back dimples. She wriggled, immobilized by my weight. “Get off!”

“What did I say the night after our wedding?” I smacked her ass, relishing her pink flush. “Tell me the rule you broke.”

“No violence!”

“You’ll be so raw, you won’t be able to sit for hours.”

Carmela shuddered with each blow, her mouth twitching when I pinched and stroked the burn. She groaned. It didn’t take long for her olive skin to blush. I glided up and down her thick curves. Carmela’s gasp melted into a sigh.

“You’ll have a nice reminder for a few days,” I hissed into her ear. “Every time you see my hand, remember what happens when you disobey me.”

Carmela’s expression was dazed as I flipped her over and settled between her thighs. I dragged my cock down her clit, slipping into her wetness. I shoved her legs onto my shoulders and lowered myself. I pushed inside her, hard. Her breathing hitched as I anchored.

“Fuck you.”

“I am. I’m fucking the hate right out of you.” I pulled out and stabbed deep, and she gasped. “Hate me. Fight me. It doesn’t matter. I’ll always love you.”

Her growl deepened into a rich groan. “I hate you.”

And yet she kept pulling me closer, whimpering, chasing me with her soft lips. She hated me, but she couldn’t get enough of me. She curled with me on the couch, in bed, everywhere. Her influence had enriched my children’s lives. She did so many things to make me love her.

So I did.

How was that a surprise?

Catching her throat, I squeezed while her heart hammered. My mouth crashed into hers. I pounded her hard, my thrusts shoving her backward. She glided up my arms, attacking me with kisses. She bit my shoulder. Her tongue wetted the sting.

I held her hips and rammed into her. Then my cock twitched, and a yell burst from me. My limbs shook. Euphoria tangled my body, as swift as alcohol rushing through veins. I kissed the tears skating her cheek as I pulsed back and forth.

Carmela was getting close. She rocked, meeting my thrusts. Her brows pinched as she clung to me. She dug her nails into me, her teeth clenched. She made a frustrated sound and grabbed my neck.

I gave her a Prince Charming kiss. Carmela met my gentle strokes with a furious passion. She clawed my ribs, convulsing around my cock. Spasms rippled over her face, like shockwaves of pleasure.

“I love you.”

Her eyes still glazed with hurt. “Stop saying that.”

“I’ll keep repeating it until it sinks into your thick head.”

Carmela ripped from my side. She dropped from the bed, snagged a robe, and tossed me a fearful glance before dashing outside. Her bare feet slapped the wood as she disappeared into another room. A lock slid into place.

I didn’t chase her. It would take a while to regain her trust.

I wanted her to have everything.

But it had to be with me.