Chapter 20
Augusto
I’ve come to the realization that I’m fucked.
Kissing Yuki changed everything between us. I instantly went from a passive roommate who wanted what’s best for her, to a possessive husband who wants everything from her.
Christ, she tastes good.
When I held her against me and felt her smaller body tremble, it unleashed one hell of a desire in me to devour her. I couldn’t stop kissing her.
My eyes drift over the new outfit that makes her look both elegant and fucking adorable. While she loads the dishwasher, I say, “I hope you got more of those outfits.”
A grin tugs at her mouth, drawing my attention to her soft lips that taste like innocence and sweet moans.
Fuck, the little moans she made while I kissed her drove me wild.
Getting up from the stool, I catch her hand in mine and lead her to the garden so we can take a stroll. It’s becoming a routine after dinner, which I like a lot. It helps me relax.
Nearing the pond, I ask, “How are the koi doing?”
“Good.” Yuki glances up at me. “When I feed them the paste, they suck it off my hand. Want to see?”
“Sure.” I watch as she darts back into the house, the corner of my mouth lifting.
I love having the little shapeshifter in my space.
My thoughts return to what she said earlier. I was surprised because I didn’t expect her to be so open about her feelings. But I’m glad. Now I know exactly where I stand with her and what she wants.
A future with me.
My smile grows as she comes rushing out of the house, excitement turning her cheeks pink.
Soon, my wife will have me wrapped around her pinky.
Yuki crouches by the pond, and after scooping some of the paste she just prepared into her fingers, she places her hand in the water. The koi come a little closer, and every few seconds, one darts forward to steal some paste before swimming away.
When they’ve cleaned her hand, she holds the bowl out to me. “Your turn.”
“They don’t bite, right?”
“No.”
I gather some of the paste as I crouch down beside her, and pushing my hand into the water, I brace for an attack. When the first koi takes a chance to steal a blob of paste, the others follow suit.
“It’s good for you to connect with nature,” Yuki murmurs. “Your soul needs it after the bad day you’ve had.”
“Yeah.”
Pulling my hand from the water, I pat it dry on my thigh while rising to my full height.
My thoughts turn to the shooter, and looking at Yuki, I worry that they’ll come after her. She’s the reason we came to an agreement with the Yakuza. Whoever’s behind the attack might think the deal will be nullified if she’s dead.
Not thinking, I grab hold of her shoulders and yank her to my chest. I engulf her in my arms and press my cheek against the top of her head.
Sucking in a deep breath, I get a lungful of her soft scent, something delicate and clean.
“I hate doing this, but you have to stay at home until I find out who’s behind the attack.” I pull back, and placing a finger beneath her chin, I nudge her so she’ll look at me. “I don’t want to risk your life.”
Her lips part, and when her eyes begin to shine with tears, worry pours into my chest.
“I was forced to risk my life every time I pretended to be my brother. You’re the first person who doesn’t want to put me in danger.”
Christ.
Thinking she will appreciate hearing it, I say, “You’re my redemption.
” I move my hands to the sides of her neck and stare deep into her eyes.
“And my wife.” The corner of my mouth lifts.
“My little shapeshifter.” Leaning down, I press a tender kiss to her mouth, and I have to suppress the urge to devour her so I can say, “Your safety is my priority. I won’t allow anything to happen to you, and I will kill anyone who tries to come near you. ”
Emotions flit over her face, everything from awe to happiness to shyness. The last one is quickly becoming my kryptonite.
“Thank you,” she whispers, then hesitantly pushes onto her tiptoes. Her mouth pauses an inch from mine, and I watch as she rethinks what she’s doing before her lips softly brush against mine.
Holy fuck.
It feels as if the ground shudders beneath my feet as Yuki tentatively begins to kiss me.
I have to fight to hold back so she can have control, but as her sweet mouth nips at mine and her tongue lightly strokes over my bottom lip, I lose the battle.
My arm shoots around her, and hauling her off her feet, I grip her tightly to my chest while I take her in a hungry kiss, the urgency to taste every inch of her mouth too intense to resist.
As the sun sets, I selfishly take my fill of Yuki, and by the time I lift my head, she’s breathless and dazed. Holding onto my shoulders, she presses her face to my neck, and I give her the time she needs to recover.
Her tone is filled with a world of vulnerability as she asks, “Will it feel the same when we consummate our marriage?”
“Having sex is much more intense than sharing a kiss.”
“I think I’ll pass out if it gets any more intense than this.”
I let her body slide down mine until her feet touch the ground, well aware she’s able to feel my hard-on.
I watch her face for her reaction, and as expected, her cheeks turn a deeper pink, and she glances at the shrubs, flowers, and pond.
“Don’t worry about sex.” I brush my hand up and down her arm. “We’ll enjoy the make-out sessions until you’re ready for the next step.”
A cute smile tugs at her lips. “Okay.”
For the past two weeks, we’ve been searching high and fucking low for any lead on who attacked me.
I even called Tanaka and had to listen to him blowing up over the phone, upset that someone would fuck with the treaty.
Right now, work sucks ass, and I live for the nights and weekends I get to spend with Yuki.
I’ve kept my word, but every night when I get to devour her mouth, it takes all my strength not to take things further.
I deserve some kind of award.
The elevator doors open, and when I walk into Georgi’s penthouse, I see everyone’s already here.
Dad notices me first and smiles as I stop beside him. “You look tired. When are you going to take time off?”
“When the problem has been dealt with.”
I take a moment to greet the other men before helping myself to a tumbler of whiskey.
Our fathers started the tradition of having a poker night once a month. No one dares miss it.
Because we’re twelve men in total, we usually split into two groups of six.
Walking to the two round tables Georgi’s set up, Uncle Damiano calls out, “Augusto, you’re next to me tonight.”
Taking the seat, I let out a sigh when Uncle Renzo, my godfather, sits down on my other side.
“Why do I get the feeling you’re both going to grill me tonight?” I ask as I set my tumbler down on the table. When my father, Uncle Angelo, and Uncle Dario join my table, I shake my head. “Oh, come on. We’re supposed to have a relaxing evening.”
I hear Georgi chuckle from the other table and shoot him a glare.
He holds up his hands in the universal sign for peace. “I had no say. What they want, they get.”
“Sure,” I grumble before looking at the men at my table. “Let’s get this over with.”
As Uncle Dario deals the hand, he says, “Thanks for giving Raffaele to Rosie.”
“You’re welcome.” When I give him an expectant look, he chuckles.
“That’s all I have to say. My daughter is happy, and we have someone fully trained to handle all the meetings.”
“Okay.” I glance at my father and other uncles.
“Any leads on who tried to assassinate you?” Uncle Damiano asks, his tone brisk as always. The man might have a heart of stone, but he’d take a bullet for any of us.
“No. I called Tanaka the other day to ask him about it. His surprise and anger sounded legit.”
“Maybe he’s a good actor,” Uncle Damiano mutters as he picks up the cards. He glances through the stack, then shoots Uncle Dario a glare. “I will rip off your nutsack. What am I supposed to do with this shit?”
“Lose,” Uncle Dario chuckles, a broad grin on his face as he looks at his own hand of cards. “Mine’s not bad at all.”
“Of course it isn’t,” Uncle Angelo grumbles, seemingly not happy with his hand.
It’s been a running joke since I can remember. They give Uncle Dario shit at every poker game.
Where Rosie is like a baby sister to all of us, Uncle Dario is like a baby brother to my father and uncles. The La Rosa family is the heartbeat of the Cosa Nostra. We’d all be fucked without their hacking skills.
“Christiano told me what went down in Tokyo when you met with Tanaka,” Uncle Damiano gets back to the topic of the Yakuza.
“I find it weird that he gave up his daughter to establish peace with us but didn’t ask for anything in return.
” His sharp gaze flicks to my face. “Maybe the daughter is feeding him information.”
I shake my head. “Yuki has no contact with her father.”
“How do you know? Have you checked her phone?” Uncle Renzo asks.
“I bought her the phone, and the only numbers on it are mine and my mother's. She uses the same password I programmed into the device when I set it up for her.” I check my cards and throw two back onto the table. “I trust my wife.”
We play a round of poker before Uncle Damiano asks, “So if Tanaka isn’t behind the attack, who is?”
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. I’m looking into the Chinese and Koreans. One of them might be pissed off about the arranged marriage between the Yakuza and Cosa Nostra.”
“You make a good point.” He looks at me again, his eyes flicking over my face. “Try to get to the bottom of it as quick as possible. You look like shit and need to take a break.”
“Now you sound like my father,” I grumble.
“That’s because it’s all he fucking complains about every time I see him,” Uncle Damiano says while shooting Dad a glare.
“Don’t talk shit,” Dad says, a smile tugging at his mouth. “You talk just as much about Christiano working himself into the ground.”
“What about me?” Christiano asks from the other table.
“Our fathers want us to sit on our asses while the Cosa Nostra burns to the ground,” I get to the heart of it.
“I’ll shoot you in the leg, then you’ll be forced to take time off,” Uncle Damiano threatens me.
I chuckle because he’s all threats and no action when it comes to us.
“That’s enough talk about work. Are we going to play so I can take all your money?” Uncle Dario asks, wagging his eyebrows at us.
I finish the whiskey in my tumbler and get up. “I need another drink.”
On my way to the liquor cabinet, I stop by the other table, and putting my hand on Georgi’s shoulder, I squeeze hard while leaning down. “For the rest of the year, I’m putting you next to Uncle Damiano at every game I host.”
My friend lets out a burst of laughter, and getting up as well, he walks with me to refill his glass. Adriano also joins us, and while we pour our drinks, Georgi says, “It’s been months since you’ve hung out with us. We used to spend every weekend together.”
He’s right. The three of us would have barbecues and watch whatever game was on TV.
“I’ll make some time next Saturday,” I say.
Adriano locks eyes with me. “How’s married life treating you?”
“Good.” I can’t keep myself from grinning. “Very good.”
Ohhhh.” Georgi’s eyebrow lifts. “Are you and the Yakuza princess–”
“Don’t you dare finish that question,” I warn him before I admit, “We haven’t consummated the marriage yet.”
Surprise flits over their faces as Adriano asks, “Why not?”
“I’m waiting until Yuki’s ready.”
“You know it’s not a marriage until you do the deed,” Georgi gives his two cents.
I playfully slap him upside the head. “What do you know about marriage? All you do is fuck your way through half of New York. You’ve never even had a relationship with a woman.”
“You know my motto.” He takes a sip of his drink. “One and done.” Letting out a sigh, he says, “Besides, I’m too busy. The Bulgarians are selling arms in my territory.”
“You’re going toe to toe with Atanas Petkova?” I give him a worried look. “Need backup?”
Georgi tips his head at Adriano. “He’s helping out. You have your hands full with the Yakuza. I swear, if the head of the Bulgarian mafia had a sister, I’d marry her for business. Petkova knows what he’s doing and could be a good ally to have.”
“Last I heard, Petkova is single,” Adriano mentions. “And you have a sister.”
“I’m not handing Raya over to that man,” Georgi growls, his temper slipping. He downs his drink and visibly calms down before he adds, “I’ll broker a deal with Petkova. His business will be good for the Cosa Nostra.”
“Definitely,” I agree.
“Hey, are the three of you going to stand there the whole night or come play poker?” Uncle Renzo, Georgi’s Dad, calls out.
I top up my tumbler before I head back to my seat, and soon we’re all talking about business and the family while getting our asses handed to us by Uncle Dario.