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This is the prequel to Mafia King
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I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers…
-Pablo Neruda, One Hundred Love Sonnets: XVII
Michael
Her lips, her scent, the taste of her fills my mouth, sinks into my blood. Her skin so soft, her curves that call out to me to touch her, her lush lips that part as I lean in closer. Her chin trembles. She tips up her face, and her green eyes peek out from under the fringe of her thick eyelashes.
"Amore mio,"I whisper,"tesoro mio."I lower my head until my eyelashes tangle with hers, until my nose bumps her, until we share breath and our lips almost meet."Sei il mio cuore."
Her lips curve.
I brush my mouth over hers once, twice, and the taste of her, like strawberries and sunshine, punches me in the gut. I cup her cheek and the feel of her soft skin against the calluses of my palms reminds me just how fragile she is. How breakable she feels against the toughness of my body. I wrap my fingers about her neck, and her gaze widens. Her dark hair flows about her shoulders, pours over my forearm as I rub my thumb into the center of her throat.
"You’re gorgeous, my Beauty." I lower my nose to the curve where her neck meets her shoulder and sniff. The scent of her, like moonflowers that open late in the day, engulfs me. My heartbeat instantly speeds up and a groan rumbles up my chest."Sei così bella che mi fai morire."I kiss the hollow at the base of her neck, then work my way down her chest. She whimpers, wriggles under me, and I chuckle,
"So impatient, Beauty?" I raise my head and stare into her beautiful green eyes. "What am I going to do with you?"
"Anything you want, my lord."
"When you call me that…" A groan rumbles up my chest. "I can’t refuse you anything, you know that? You could ask me to die for you and I’d gladly do it. I’d walk through fire for you,amore mio, I’d throw myself off the highest mountain. I’d kill for you. I’d die a thousand deaths, if you’d only call me that again."
"My lord," the witch’s smile widens, "my master," she gazes deeply into my eyes, "the only one to whom I’d ever submit."
"The only one to whom you’ll ever acquiesce again."
"And if I don't?" She tilts her head and suppresses a grin, "What if I decide you aren’t the one for me?"
Anger burns through my veins and heat flushes my skin, "If you dare leave me for another, if you ever look at another man, if you ever let anyone else touch you... I’ll kill him, Beauty. I won’t stop until I’ve ground his face into the dirt, until I’ve pulled out his eyes for looking at you, broken his mouth for daring to speak to you, until I’ve pulled out his guts, smeared his blood on the ground and," I glare at her, "made love to you on the remains of his body."
Her breath hitches and her pupils dilate. I stare at her. She’s turned on, no doubt about it. My thirst for violence seems to fulfill a need deep inside of her—one she doesn’t bother to hide from me either.
"You’re not disgusted by my cruelty?" I tilt my head, "My penchant for brutality seems to turn you on, Bellezza."
"And what if it does?" She purses her lips, "What if I say that it is the savagery at your core that attracts me? That it is the ferocity to go after what’s yours that appeals to the darkness in me. That," she tips up her chin so her lips are almost on mine, "it is your forcefulness, your need for destruction, your ruthlessness in not holding back what you are thinking, your vehemence in saying what’s on your mind, as you use your dominance to overpower every challenge in your path, that resonates with this yearning deep inside me to be taken, to be subdued, to be—"
"Mine," I growl as I glare into her eyes, "only mine." I close my lips over hers and her entire body shudders. A moan bleeds from her and I know then, I need her, want her, must have her, right now. I tear my mouth from hers, peer into her face, "Promise me," I order, "that you’ll never hide any secrets from me, that you’ll never turn your back on me, that you’ll never ever leave me."
Her green eyes widen; color fades from her cheeks. "Michael, I…"
"Michael, get up, you need to see this."
I snap my eyes open, stare into the face of my brother and Second, "The hell are you doing here, Luca?"
He glances down and I follow his gaze to where I have the blade of my knife pushed up against his throat.
"Shit, Michael," he drawls, "take it easy,fratellone.It’s only me."
"Well, that’ll teach you to surprise me when I sleep."