Two
TWO
Enzo
“ That’s your question?” I said as I stared down at Molly.
She looked furious, and it took everything inside of me not to laugh.
Not because she was funny.
It was just…she was so fucking adorable.
I’d called her doll, and it fit.
She had the biggest, prettiest brown eyes I’d ever seen, and when she smiled, her eyes lit up.
That smile had lived rent-free in my head since the first time I’d seen her, and I hadn’t been able to shake it.
She’d drawn me in when I’d seen her at Carlo’s, and even when she’d been terrified as the bullets flew, and then confused when the drugs I’d slipped her started to take effect, I’d felt a connection I couldn’t explain.
That was why I’d shown up at her apartment that day.
By then I’d known everything about her, but the urge to see her had been too strong.
After that visit to her apartment, I’d managed to keep my distance, even avoiding her at Nico’s wedding, which had been almost impossible.
She’d looked like a present, all full curves and soft brown skin wrapped in pink satin just for me to unwrap.
I’d resisted, but seeing her tonight felt like luck, like she had fallen directly into my arms.
I’d have to thank Nico for telling the men to keep an eye on the shelter.
I’d gotten to watch her, and that asshole Fabiano had given me an excuse to finally talk to her.
After all, she was Hope’s friend, which meant she was under Moretti protection whether she knew it or not.
I’d fail my cousin and my name if I’d let Fabiano fuck with her.
And if stepping in had the added benefit of being in her space, I sure as shit wouldn’t complain.
Not that Molly would make it easy.
Every time I saw her, whether she was either annoyed, freaking out and then confused, or just plain scared, she always tried to move with this air of toughness.
She was trying now, too, but I could see through it.
I’d watched her interaction with Fabiano, simultaneously proud and pissed when she’d been so unafraid of him.
Had pinpointed the exact moment when she’d realized how deadly serious that interaction was.
Saw the flicker of understanding in her eyes, followed by a small step closer to me.
I’d never wanted anything more than to have Molly close to me.
Thought maybe once would be enough but I now knew that was a lie.
She was still close to me but when she realized it, she pushed me away, her hands leaving a ghost of sensation on my chest.
I gave her some space—but just a little.
I liked her being that close to me.
After all, I’d fucking dreamed about it enough.
I wouldn’t let the opportunity go to waste.
She stared up at me with those beautiful eyes.
“That’s a pretty important question,” she said.
I touched my chest like I was wounded.
“Molly, am I really so forgettable?”
She recognized me.
I knew that, just as I knew she would deny it.
Her eyes went hard, and she stepped a little farther away.
I’d never expected Molly to be easy, and she seemed intent on proving my point.
She stuffed her hands into her pockets, focusing the bib of her overalls to pull tight against her absolutely delicious-looking tits.
I didn’t appreciate the distance but I loved the view.
“My eyes are up here, asshole,” she barked.
I kept my gaze down.
“I wasn’t looking at your eyes, doll.”
She scoffed, and out of my periphery, I saw her shake her head.
I glanced up then and saw she was really pissed.
Once she knew she had my attention, she glared, her eyes full of anger.
I wanted to kiss her so fucking bad, I clenched my fists to keep my hands still.
Molly was fire, and oh how I wanted to burn.
“How. The. Fuck. Do. You? Know?”
She punctuated every word with a little jab at my chest.
I couldn’t stop myself.
I grabbed her hand and slowly pulled it to my lips.
Her eyes widened with surprise, and when I brushed a soft kiss against her fingers, she rolled her eyes.
“Enzo Moretti. Hope’s cousin,” I said around my smile.
“Hope doesn’t have any cousins,” she said, scoffing.
“She married Nico, so she has at least fifty cousins now, including me.”
“Fine. Answer my question, cousin Enzo?”
“Just Enzo to you, and I’m following orders.”
She shook her head and then pressed her fingers against her closed eyes.
“I was supposed to be home by now,” she muttered.
Then she opened her eyes and looked at me.
“What does that mean?”
I shrugged.
“Hope cares about this place. Nico cares about Hope. I care about what Nico cares about. So I’m here. Which is how I know where you work.”
That was almost true.
I didn’t want to seem like any more of a psycho than I already did, so I left out the insignificant detail that letting a day pass without seeing her left me on edge.
That was my burden to bear, and from the softening of her expression, she bought my story, so I’d run with it.
“And are you to blame for your friend Fabiano harassing me?” she asked.
“Fabiano Genovese is no friend of mine. And no, I’m not. He was just fucking with you for the fun of it. Any money he got was just gravy,” I said.
She looked disgusted and annoyed as she glanced at the building.
“It’s a fucking animal shelter,” she said, exasperated.
“Maybe if we were one of those fancy places uptown where you could steal an expensive breed to sell, I could see it, but seriously, this place is full of mangy strays and people too soft-hearted or desperate for work to do something else. It’s not a good way to make money.”
“Which are you? Too soft-hearted I’d bet,” I said.
She chuckled. “None of your business, Enzo.”
I laughed and then sobered.
“The shelter get robbed a lot?”
This place was supposed to be off-limits.
I hadn’t seen anything in the time I’d been watching her, but that didn’t mean I knew everything.
“More than we should, but things have been quiet for a while. I’d hoped we’d turned the corner,” she said.
“Maybe you have,” I said.
“Maybe,” she responded, looking off down the alley before facing me again.
“Anyway, Enzo, can’t say it’s nice to meet you or that I hope to see you again, but have a nice evening.”
“Don’t worry, doll, you don’t have to say it.”
She huffed, but I didn’t miss her quick little laugh.
Knew I would replay that sound over and over in my head until I heard it again.
“You ready to go?” I asked a second later.
She looked at me like I was an especially challenging puzzle, her head tilted just so and the lights from the alley making her eyes look more bronze than deep brown.
“Go where?”
I didn’t answer immediately and instead stared at her.
Her bangs were different now.
This week she had pink-colored tips.
I actually liked the blue ones.
Or maybe the purple was my favorite.
Whatever the color, I wanted to wrap her hair around my fist as I fed her my cock.
I brought myself far enough out of the haze of lust to remember that I wasn’t a fucking hairdresser, so I had no idea how she changed the color so often and decided then the color didn’t matter.
Everything looked good on her.
And nothing would look even better.
“Go where?”
Molly’s question broke into my lewd thoughts.
“Home,” I said.
She took her hands out of her pockets and crossed her arms underneath her breasts.
“What concern is it of yours?”
“I need to know where I’m going,” I said, not mentioning the very small fact that I already knew where she lived, something I was surprised she didn’t acknowledge.
She laughed. “You think I’m letting you walk me home?”
I laughed.
“You think I was asking?”
“Look, I don’t know who the fuck you?—”
I lifted a finger and pulled out my phone.
She stopped talking, her mouth flopping open and then closed.
She was so indignant she couldn’t speak.
Not a reaction I’d seen from Molly much.
But instead of teasing her like I so badly wanted to, I punched a few buttons and waited for a response.
Hope answered on the second ring.
“Hey, Enzo. You looking for Nico?” she asked.
“No, cousin, you’re who I need,” I replied.
“Okay. Is everything okay? And when are you coming by for breakfast? Maybe I can ask Molly to come, too,” she said.
I wasn’t surprised. I hadn’t said a peep about Molly to anyone, but Hope was smart and observant.
I was sure she hadn’t missed my reaction to the mention of Molly’s name.
Or the way I clung to every morsel of information about her that Hope might offhandedly mention.
“I’ll come by soon, and as for Molly, I’m here with her now. Can you tell her it’s fine if I walk her home?”
“Why are you with Molly?” she asked.
“Serendipity,” I said.
“Enzo…” Hope dragged out my name in a way that would make my Aunt Mona proud.
“Just happened to walk by and catch Fabiano Genovese giving Molly a hard time. Gentleman that I am, I had to intervene,” I said.
Hope laughed. “You, a gentleman? Wait, don’t answer that but put Molly on the phone.”
I handed Molly the phone.
She looked like she wanted to pummel me with it, but instead she glared at me as she lifted the phone to her ear.
“Hey, Hope…” She blinked, her face twisted.
I couldn’t quite make out what Hope said, but it was clear Molly didn’t like it.
“But, Hope…I don’t want him to.”
She blew out a harsh breath and then frowned, her forehead wrinkled with annoyance.
Fuck, what was it about this girl?
She was full-on pouting.
That shit usually pissed me off, but with Molly, it attracted me that much more.
I needed to leave this girl the fuck alone.
I made no attempt to move.
“I know, Hope. But…fine—but you owe me.”
Molly sighed as she hung up the phone, then pushed it toward me.
“Let’s go,” she said.
She started walking and didn’t look back.
I matched her step for step but didn’t try to talk.
Molly might have pushed me into traffic, and seeing her little pissed-off face was enough of a prize for the day.
Fifteen minutes later, we turned on her block.
Molly stopped in front of her building and then finally looked at me.
“I’m home. Thanks, Enzo. Not nice to meet you and I hope I never see you again,” she said as she gave me a little finger wave and walked up the wide concrete steps.
I let her get up two before I called out.
“You forgot something.”
She spun, then looked down at me dramatically.
“Make it quick. I’ve had quite enough of you.”
“You’re going to get a lot more,” I responded.
There were nine specific inches I’d dreamed about giving her over and over and over, but that could wait for the moment.
“What does that mean, Enzo?” she asked.
“I told them you’re mine. Now I have to prove it.”