Romeo The Mafia Casanova

Eden’s [POV]

He approached from behind, and I did not need to turn around to know who it was. Had I summoned him? I supposed in a way I had. The water gurgled and splashed in the fountain as though to assure me it bore witness to our presence.

“It’s you, isn’t it?” I whispered, my heart pounding against my chest with such force it was physically painful.

“Isn’t that why you texted me this morning?” he countered in a husky, masculine tone.

Why did that simple response strike such a chord inside of me? “I texted you because-”

“You miss me,” he chimed in. “Not that I can blame you; if I were married to an accountant, I’d have blown my fucking brains out at this point.”

I wanted to reply, but what could I say to that?

Already, my lips twitched with the need to react. Romeo never censored himself; he was blunt, chaotic, and unapologetic about himself, and the way he saw the world.

And that included his brother.

I heard his footsteps follow bringing him closer to where I stood in front of the fountain. My breathing hitched as soon as I felt him come up behind my shaky frame. I didn’t turn around, I didn’t move, afraid if I did he’d disappear like he was just a figment of my imagination.

I closed my eyes, waiting for I didn’t know what. His warmth increased the closer he got, convincing me I would combust any moment. We weren’t even touching, yet his presence engulfed me. Owned me. He was everywhere.

His hands.

His lips.

His love.

He leaned in just inches away, letting his whiskey breath brush against my ear. Assault all my senses. Shivers coursed through me and down my spine while my knees buckled.

I wrapped my arms around my stomach, trying to hold in the emotions that threatened to spill, comforting myself with the truths that were revealing themselves to him. Knowing he noticed. There was no way he couldn’t have felt the effect he always had over me.

His touch.

His aura.

His mere presence.

“Happy birthday, Red.”

My breath hitched as I shuddered, and weakened, and the wall I built came tumbling down at our feet. A much different reaction than I’d had when Tristian called me that minutes before.

I never imagined this would be my life. Forever stuck between a man who refused to let me go and one who dropped me the minute he was asked to.

“Why are you here?”

“To give you your gift,” he responded simply, like it was the easiest question when in fact, it seemed to be the hardest.

I swallowed hard, not knowing what to say or what to do. I should have left, but I couldn’t get my feet to move. They were glued to the ground, cemented into this place and time where it felt so damn good to have him there with me when he was nothing but bad for me.

I licked my lips, my mouth suddenly becoming dry. My head spun in a whirlwind of feelings. Battling with my heart to move or to stay grounded. Wanting to turn and face the man who was still such a mystery to me, but before I could, his actions decided for me.

My eyes followed the quick movement of his strong arms as they came around my body. Skimming the sides of my ribs to place his hands on the railing out in front of me that protected the fountain from intruders going into it.

He caged me in against his body, his scent, his suit.

Engulfing me.

Comforting me.

Tormenting.

It was loud.

Explosive.

Maddening.

The closer he got to me, the more I wanted to feel him against my body. Yearning to be touched in a way that I knew could soothe me. I sensed he wanted to put his hands on me, and I needed to feel my silky skin under his calloused fingers. He didn’t.

If he touched me, we’d both get burned in the flames that always surrounded us.

“Open it,” he whispered, indicating his gift, a slender box wrapped in paper covered in silver foil tied with a pretty white bow.

I did, allowing my fingers to linger with his for a couple of seconds. Opening the jewelry box, I gasped as soon as I saw the rose gold locket necklace. I had my eyes on it for the last year, wanting to put a picture of Naz in it.

“How did you know? How do you always know what to get me?” I asked, needing to finally know the answer to a question that had been plaguing my mind for as long as I could remember.

“Because I know you,” he emphasized, placing his hands over mine, and I jumped from his sudden touch.

I could feel him grinning, knowing he was the cause of the rapid rhythm beating against the palm of his hand. Slowly, he opened the locket with my hands in his, and that warm feeling washed over me. It had the perfect photo of Naz on the left that warmed my heart; his chubby cheeks and cherubic smile were the first things that caught my attention. It wasn’t until I saw the picture on the right that felt like a bucket of cold water poured down my head.

It was an image of Tristian and me from our rehearsal dinner.

I shot around and pushed Romeo away with everything inside of me. “You fucking bastard.”

He scoffed out a chuckle. “I never claimed to be anything else.”

I had no words. He’d rendered me speechless. All I had were emotions spilling out. The floodgates opened, letting out everything I held in so deeply. Tears began to stream down my face, falling to the ground along with my heart.

“Why do you always want to hurt me?”

His hand rose to the side of my cheek.

I was feeling so much…

Yet not nearly enough.

“You know I hate seeing you cry. Don’t waste your tears on me.”

I didn’t say one word, terrified he would stop his caress, and his control over me would fade.

I sucked in a breath when he took the locket out of my hands and placed it around my neck.

“There. Now it’s where it’s meant to be.”

It was then that I couldn’t take it any longer.

It was then that it became too much.

His words were killing me, but his touch was destroying me.

I simply stated, asking with conviction, “Why do you want me to hate you?”Romeo

“Does it make it easier for you?” Her lower lip trembled. I wanted nothing more than to press my mouth to hers, kiss away the sadness, and claim what wasn’t mine to claim.

“Nothing about you is easy,” I declared, eyeing her up and down.

Her eyes widened. “So, what happens now? You leave, and I don’t see you again for another two years? Are you here to say goodbye this time? Or to repeat the past because I swear we’re fucking stuck there.”

There was so much emotion behind her gaze. I knew they mirrored mine; there was no need for words. Our eyes spoke for themselves as I took her face between my hands and caressed the sides of her cheeks with my thumbs.

My thoughts.

My words.

They all seemed to be fucking intertwined with one another. Pushing and pulling like a game of tug of war that never ended and was impossible to win.

“If we were stuck there, then you wouldn’t have married my brother.”

“What do you want from me?” she whispered, peering into my chest. I lifted her chin so I could once again look into her beautiful eyes. The pain in her voice was so tangible that I could reach out and touch it, obliterate it with my bare hands and replace it with something else-anything else.

“Whatever you have to give me,” I answered simply, wiping away the tears from her cheeks.

“Tristian is inside, Romeo.”

“It’s never stopped me before.”

Her lips started quivering, unable to form words. I kissed her forehead, resisting the urge to claim every last inch of skin. I knew I shouldn’t have been there, but I had to see her. It had been way too fucking long.

One of my biggest regrets in my life was giving her to my brother.

“I can’t lose you again,” I stated the truth, hating that I sounded weak as hell.

“You don’t have me now.” I’d forgotten how adorable she was when she lied.

“You’re in my arms, so I’ll take you any way I fucking can.”

A frown pinched her face as she pulled away from me, shaking her head. Breaking our connection. I stepped toward her but was quickly interrupted by a toddler’s voice shouting, “Mama!”

Both our stares darted in the direction it came from. Two chubby legs came barreling down the path like a drunken sailors. Barreling footsteps followed behind him, Tristian chasing after their son.

His glare flew from her to me while mine stayed on the little boy by her feet. His arms were extended sky high, begging to be picked up.

Eden assumed I was gone for half his little life. She didn’t know that there wasn’t a breath he took without me watching over him, like an avenging angel.

Tristian spewed, “Am I interrupting?”

Still, I couldn’t get my gaze to move.

Refocus.

Connect with my brother, whom I hadn’t seen since he kicked me out of his house.

His life.

Theirs.

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My nephew’s.

With wide eyes, I stepped back, replying, “I was just leaving.” Needing to get the hell out of there before I screamed our blatant truths with her staring right at me.

Tristian spoke up. “You should go inside, Romeo. Say hello to the family, and then you can find someone to go home with. You know, use women who are at your disposal until you’re bored and throw them away. I think you’ve done enough damage here for the night.”

I nodded.

He was right.

I walked away from her that night, leaving her with my brother.

And this time, with my nephew.