Captivated: A Mafia Romance (Carfano Crime Family Book 6)

~ Chapter 30 ~

Nico

I didn’t know I could love someone the way I do Cassie. I thought I wasn’t capable because I hadn’t felt the need to spend more than a night with a single woman. It wasn’t until a red-haired siren pulled me close and drowned me in her ocean eyes that I came to know what I was missing, and I’ve been drowning ever since.

Cassandra fucking Connelly is the air I need to survive, and without her, I know I’d be lost and adrift a dark sea with no chance of survival.

“Nico, what did you do?” Cassie asks right when she walks through the door. She must’ve seen my gift for her on her way inside and isn’t happy about it.

I’m in the kitchen cooking dinner and she storms in with her hands on her hips. “Did you seriously buy me that car for a second time?”

“I did.” I nod. “Here, try this.” I hold out the wooden spoon in my hand for her to try the sauce I’m making.

She pops her mouth open and takes a taste of the end of the spoon. Her eyes widen. “Oh, Nico, that’s good.”

“Hopefully that won’t be the only time you say that tonight.”

She rolls her eyes and crosses her arms. “You’re trying to distract me with sex, but it won’t work. I’m mad at you.”

“Is that a challenge? Because, baby, I know I can distract you with sex and you won’t be mad at me for buying you another car.” I grab her hips and pull her close, planting a kiss to her pouty lips. “If you want a different car, you can choose whatever you’d like, but you’re getting a car.”

“No, I like that one. It’s really nice,” she grumbles, like it’s such an inconvenience to admit. I give her another kiss and she relaxes further. Her arms uncross and slide up and around my neck. “Thank you,” she whispers against my lips.

“You’re welcome, piccante.” My lips brush against hers with my words, and I plant soft kisses all along her bottom lip, from left to right. “Now, I’m almost done with dinner. Open a bottle of wine and relax until it’s ready.”

“Thank you.” She lifts up on her toes and fully wraps her arms around my neck, squeezing me in a tight hug.

She’s the most precious thing I’ll ever hold in my arms, and I reluctantly let her go when I hear my sauce bubbling and need to stir it.

After spending the rest of the weekend in the city, it wasn’t until I realized I had to drive her back home for classes that it hit me we live in two different fucking cities. So, I packed another suitcase and told her I’d be staying with her until she graduates, and that I’ll just travel back and forth for work when needed.

“How were your classes?”

She sighs. “Fine. I can’t wait to be done.”

“Me too. Then I can fuck you morning, noon, and night without worrying I’m too much of a distraction from your schoolwork.”

I was only semi-joking, but Cassie bursts out laughing. A beautiful sound that has me staring at her with a smile on my face. Fuck, she’s gorgeous.

“That’d be way too much, Nico.” She chuckles, taking a sip of wine. “But I like where your head is at.”

“My other head would like to be in the same place,” I quip, throwing her a wink before turning the stove off and covering the saucepan.

“Nico!” she squeals all cute, laughing. “You know, you’re really good at that. You can turn anything dirty, and I love it.”

I swoop in and kiss the side of her neck with an onslaught of pecks until she’s giggling and squirming away.

With the mess of her brother and the McLaughlins behind us, I just want to see her happy and free from the pressures of everything. I want to love her like she deserves.

“You’re playful tonight,” she says, smiling up at me.

“How could I not be? I’ve got everything I need right in front of me,” I tell her, and she gasps in a short breath right before my lips meet hers, and I give her the slow, take my time to savor her, kiss that has her eyes hazy and filled with wonder. “Let me finish dinner.”

Cassie gives me a small nod, and I go back to the stove to test if the pasta is soft yet. I drain it and take the meatballs from the oven.

I make the both of us a plate, and when I place one in front of Cassie, she smiles. “Spaghetti and meatballs. Isn’t this a cliché meal for you to make me?” she teases, twirling her pasta around her fork.

“A little, but it’s my nonna’s recipe and I wanted you well fed and happy when I ask you something.”

Her fork freezes midway to her mouth and she brings it back down to her plate. “What is it?”

“Nothing to panic about, piccante.”

“Then don’t phrase it like that. What is it?”

“I was wondering if you’d come to Sunday dinner with me next week to meet the rest of my family.”

“Really?” she asks, a look I haven’t seen in her eyes taking over.

“Yes, really. I want you to meet my mom. I know she’ll love you. My sister, too. If you can go up against Stef with your death glare and mouth off to Leo, then you’re golden, baby.”

“Oh,” she breathes, her cheeks staining pink like she’s retroactively embarrassed for both. “Then I…I’d love to meet your family.”

“And Lexi will be there too, I’m sure. So you’ll have her.”

She perks up immediately. “Okay. I can charm the shit out of everyone, don’t worry.”

“Not necessary. Just be yourself.”

Her smile falls. “Are you saying my usual self isn’t charming?”

“Fuck, I didn’t mean that,” I say quickly. “I meant, just be yourself. You don’t have to try and be someone you think they’ll like. You’re enough. You’re more than enough.”

“Mmm,” she huffs. “That’s a better answer. Thank you.”

Shaking my head, I smile and take a large sip of wine to occupy my mouth so I don’t say anymore bullshit.

“Will the women your cousins are will be there too?”

“Yes. Everyone. Aunts, uncles, cousins, significant others. Even my cousins who are in Miami will fly back for it if they can. You’ll be able to meet them before Sean goes down there. I’m glad he agreed to it.”

Sean is staying in one of the empty apartments in our building in the city right now while he finishes healing up before he goes down to Miami.

We have a doctor on call if he needs it, and with how secure our building is, he won’t be able to sneak out and no one can sneak in. That’s what sold Cassie on him staying there for a couple weeks.

“Me too,” she says. “Where do they live? Where will Sean be living?”

“They live in lofts above the club we own. Dance club,” I quickly clarify when I see her eyes narrow. “It’s a massive place, and we converted the upper part of the building into lofts. Sean will start off being their assistant, and then we’ll see what happens.”

“I’ll want to check on him at some point. I’ll want to see with my own eyes that he’s doing well and going to meetings.”

“So he agreed to go to Gambler’s Anonymous?”

“He did. He doesn’t want to be in that situation ever again. He knows how lucky he is that I was able to help him. And you, of course. You’re the one who actually helped him.”

“You’re his sister, Cassie. You helped him.”

“Thank you,” she says softly, and pushes a meatball around her pasta.

“A trip to Miami means I get to see you in a bikini while the sun kisses your perfect skin. I’ll have to religiously apply sunscreen all over you to make sure you don’t burn. I hope you know that.”

I wanted to lighten the mood again, and it worked. Her smile is instant, and she’s rolling her pretty blue eyes at me.

“I’m lucky to have such a vigilant boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend, huh?”

“Should I call you something else?”

“Not yet.” I wink, and her cheeks heat. I fully plan on her calling me her husband within the year. I’d ask her to marry me now if I thought she’d say yes. “I’ve just never been someone’s boyfriend before, so it’s interesting to hear. And calling me a boy is a little insulting, no?”

“Do you want me to say manfriend instead?”

“That just sounds made up.”

“Then what do you want?”

“Boyfriend will have to do for now.”

“Yes, it will.” Cassie pushes her hair over her shoulder in a haughty way that has me wanting to spank her perfect ass for being so sassy. But I fucking love it, and she knows it.

“These meatballs are amazing,” she says, moaning around a bite. “Now that I’m in the family, do I get to know the recipe? I’d love to be able to make these for you next time.”

I don’t think she realizes what she just said and how much it means to me. She’s admitting so casually that she’s a part of the family now, and my heart fucking swells in my chest with pride and love. I want her to have the kind of family she’s been denied her entire life. The kind of family she deserves. It’s been just her brother and her against the world for too long, and I want her to always feel safe, welcome, and loved.

“It’s in my head, so I’ll have to write it down for you.”

“Thank you.”

“Or we could make them together, and you can see how it’s done. A recipe only gives so much information.”

“I’d like that.” She smiles. “I didn’t know you like cooking. I won’t lie…I liked walking in here and seeing you in the kitchen. It was sexy as hell.”

“Was it?”

“Oh, yes.” She nods, taking a sip of wine. “Very.”

“I’ll make sure I’m cooking every time you come home, then. I always want to be sexy for you.”

“Then all you have to do is be breathing. Because you’re sexy all the time.” She gives me a flirty little wink that makes my chest puff with an ego boost. “But cooking? Even more so.”

“And if I said I bought you cookies and cream ice cream at the store for dessert? Will I be even sexier?”

“How did you…?”

“You ordered it from room service our first weekend together. You said it was your favorite.”

“And you remembered,” she says dreamily.

“Of course. I remember everything about you, piccante.”

“Well then, it looks like I’ll be having two desserts tonight.” Cassie swirls more pasta around her fork and slides it into her mouth. Sauce leaks out onto the corners of her lips and she licks it away seductively, keeping her eyes on me.

My cock stiffens, wanting her tongue to circle around me like that.

“Is that so?”

“Mmhmm. I don’t mind a little salty with my sweet.”

Her eyes are dancing with mischief, and I push my plate away and turn my chair out to the side like I did for her not too many nights ago.

“Finished already?” she asks innocently, biting into the last meatball on her plate.

“Yes. I’m ready whenever you are.”

Cassie laughs softly to herself. “I’m almost done.”

“You should leave room. Two desserts can be filling.”

“I can handle it.”

Cassie finishes off the meatball and washes it down with the rest of the wine in her glass. She pours herself a little more from the bottle and leans back in her chair, her eyes on me as she drinks her wine slowly.

This woman is going to make me wait.

She’s going to tease and torture me like this for the rest of my life.

I should get used to it.

As long as she knows turnabout is fair play. Not that I could ever deny her for too long.

Fuck, okay, so she wins. She always wins and will always win.

I guess I’m just a man at the mercy of a spicy redhead who lights my fucking world on fire.

Cassie finishes off her wine and delicately places the glass down on the table. Her lips turn up in a sly grin as she stands and takes the three steps around the table to me.

“Ice cream first?” she asks, planning on teasing me some more.

Growling, I grab her wrist and pull her towards me so she falls against my chest. “No.”

“No?” Her eyebrows lift in surprise and I shake my head. “Hmm, if you insist.” Cassie plants a soft kiss to my lips and slides down to her knees. “On second thought, maybe you shouldn’t fill me up too much. I still want ice cream.”

I pinch her chin. “You’re going to swallow every drop of my come.” Her eyes melt before me the way they do when I give her an order. “Understand?”

She gives me a lazy nod and I release her from my grip so she can get to work.

She’s absolutely perfect.

And she’s absolutely all mine.