Chapter 10
Romeo
Islip out the front door and jog down the driveway when one of my men pulls up out front.
Lucia has locked herself away again, but I can’t blame her for wanting to put distance between us.
I’m constantly raining on her parade and ruining any semblance of happiness she seems to find while we’re stuck here, and I hate myself for it.
This woman has me tied up in so many knots I can’t fucking see straight.
My irrational behaviour when it comes to her isn’t about control or anger …
it’s fear. Fear of losing her, of not being enough, of messing up something I don’t know how to handle, because I’ve never felt anything this real before.
I don’t know how to love her right, and it’s killing me.
I feel like an absolute cunt for what I did to her yesterday, especially after she stood up for me with my mum. No one’s ever done that for me before, not like that. And I can’t even find the right words for what it meant.
She didn’t flinch. Didn’t hesitate. Just stepped in like it was the most natural thing in the world. For a moment, it felt like I wasn’t in this alone. Like someone actually had my back.
And then I ruined it.
I had no right to stop her from watching that movie, and to make it worse, I didn’t just leave the room. I took the remote with me and hid it like a child. I tried to justify my reasoning in my head, but the truth is, I was jealous.
Not just irritated or annoyed, I was fucking jealous.
Of a damn movie.
Of not being the centre of her world in that moment.
It’s an emotion I’ve never felt before. It’s completely unfamiliar to me. As a kid, I sometimes envied my friends for the things they had, but I never felt even the smallest amount of jealousy when it came to a woman.
I despise the part of me that continuously lashes out instead of speaking up. The part that keeps pushing her away when all I want to do is pull her closer.
Lucia’s books were bad enough, but at least with them, her only visual was something she had to conjure up in her head.
That movie, though …
She’s lucky I didn’t put a bullet right through the television screen, because that’s what I wanted to do.
I didn’t want her comparing me to anyone else.
Hell, I didn’t want her looking at anyone else.
That part scared me more than I’d ever admit.
I’ve never felt so possessive over anyone before and never cared this much about being someone’s … only. But with her, it’s different. It’s raw. It’s uncontrollable.
Sergio winds down the driver’s-side window as I approach. “You got what I need?”
“It’s right here,” he says, reaching over to the passenger seat and grabbing the shopping bag that is sitting there. “I never picked you as much of a reader.”
“I’m not,” I grumble.
“Ah, I see, è per la bella dentro (It’s for the beauty inside)?”
My lips form a thin line when he refers to Lucia as the beauty. He’s not wrong, she is, but hearing it from someone else scratches at something sharp inside me.
“Do you have a fucking death wish?” I growl, snatching the bag from his hand.
My reaction has his eyebrows jumping in surprise. “You don’t think she’s a beauty?”
She’s a fucking goddess, and more importantly, she’s mine, but I keep that to myself. The biggest question is how does he know she’s a beauty? My men may be calling by often, but I’ve made sure to keep her from their prying eyes.
“How do you even know what she looks like?”
My question makes him frown, as if it’s obvious. “I saw her at the Don’s house on New Year’s Eve.”
“Hmm,” I hum, remembering all the Famiglia were there. “Well, you should be more careful with your words next time. Admiration can sound a lot like intention … and I don’t take kindly to either.”
He holds up his hands defensively. “No intentions, boss. I simply have eyes; any fool can see she’s beautiful.”
My jaw ticks as I turn my face away and try to rein in my anger before I do something stupid, like knock him the fuck out for stating the obvious. “You won’t have eyes if I rip them out of your head,” I grumble.
Fuck, the way I’m feeling right now is unsettling.
“Holy shit, you like her?!” It’s a question, but it comes out more like a statement.
My murderous gaze snaps back to him because I hate that he can see straight through me. “Did you make sure you weren’t followed here?”
“Of course, boss.”
“Good, now fuck off,” I say as I turn and stalk back towards the house.
I wait until Lucia sets down our food and takes her seat at the table before reaching for the box beside me. Without a word, I slide it across to her.
She’s still pissed and hasn’t looked at me once since I entered the kitchen.
“I got you something,” I say, keeping my voice low and a little reluctant. This woman can be unpredictable at times.
Her eyes narrow as they finally snap to mine, sharp and guarded, before flicking down to the box in front of her. It’s my clumsy attempt at a peace offering.
“What’s that?” she asks, eyeing the box with suspicion.
“A Kindle … so you can get some new reading material. It’s already set up. I even downloaded the book you never got to finish.”
I wince as the words leave my mouth, watching her stare at me with an unblinking and unreadable expression.
Her eyes widen in surprise. “Damien and Rosie’s story?”
I clear my throat. “Yeah, them.”
“You … you actually bought me a Kindle?” she says, her voice caught somewhere between disbelief and curiosity.
“I did. I’ve linked it to my credit card so you can buy all the books you need.”
She arches one perfectly sculpted brow. “All the books? You do realise there are millions of books for sale on .”
“Well … maybe not all the books, but feel free to get whatever you need to occupy your time while we’re here.”
“You do know I’m a gazillionaire, right? Arabella and I inherited Papa’s empire after my sister whacked him, so technically I can buy my own books.”
I can’t help but chuckle at how casually she talks about her father’s demise. Aside from Arabella, I haven’t spent much time around women from our world, so it’s a nice change.
Most of my past flings liked the idea of me being in the mob, but they’d probably lose their shit if they knew the kinds of things I’ve actually done.
“I’m not exactly broke either,” I say, shrugging. “But I still want to pay for your books. It’s the least I can do, considering—”
“You’ve been acting like the fun polizia (Police),” she cuts in, her tone flat.
“Hmm,” I hum, completely unimpressed by her jab.
“Can I buy smutty books?”
I clear my throat. “You can buy any books you like,” I answer, trying really hard to sound unfazed.
The truth is, I’d rather she didn’t read that kind of stuff—because I’m quickly realising that I am a possessive prick when it comes to her—but I’m not about to take away something that makes her happy. Not again. I’ve learnt my lesson.
She looks down at the Kindle in her hand and frowns before pushing back her chair and standing, and my heart rate kicks up a notch because I’m not sure if she’s about to thank me, hit me over the head with it, or storm out of the room.
She does none of the above.
When her eyes turn glassy and her bottom lip begins to quiver, I go to stand, but before I can, Lucia launches herself at me, throwing her arms around my neck. “Oh, Romeo,” she chokes out. “I love it … I love you.”
Wait, what?
She loves me?
My body instinctively goes rigid. This is the first time anyone has muttered those words to me. Three little syllables that hit me harder than any bullet ever could.
I bury my face in her coconut-scented hair as I carefully wrap my arms around her, like I’m holding something fragile and irreplaceable, because this woman is like nobody I’ve ever known.
She’s fun-loving, pint-sized, caring, feisty, a little unhinged at times and completely unpredictable, but those are traits I’ve come to crave like oxygen.
She drives me insane in all the worst and best ways. She challenges me, cuts through my bullshit, but the truth is I wouldn’t change this woman even if I could.
She’s perfect just the way she is.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I slip it out, already irritated, because I know from the distinct chime it’s a notification from my camera app. I was expecting this, if I’m being honest.
“For fuck’s sake,” I mumble under my breath when I glance down at the screen and see my mother and her loser boyfriend lurking around the front gate at my place.
I know what she’s doing; she’s looking for her car. She’s wasting her time because it’s not there.
“Everything okay?” Lucia asks, glancing up from her Kindle.
She’s barely had it out of her hand since I gave it to her yesterday. That damn smile she’s been sporting ever since has me quickly realising there isn’t much I wouldn’t do to make this woman happy.
That’s why I’m trying really hard not to let the genre of books she reads bother me. Is it filling her head with unreal fairy-tale expectations? More than likely, but she’s been looking at me like I hung the stars and the moon again, so there’s that.
There’s been no mention of those three little words she murmured, either. I’m still unsure if she was speaking from the heart or was just overwhelmed in the moment. Was it a confession of love, or merely an I love you for buying this for me?
Deep down, a part of me hopes she meant what she said.
That knowledge would complicate everything, but I can’t deny that the possibility of being loved by someone for the first time in my life makes me feel like I’m standing on the edge of a wildfire I don’t know how to survive.
That if I reach for it, I’ll get burned so badly that I may never recover.
I push those thoughts out of my mind as my gaze flickers from my phone to Lucia. “My mother and her cocksucker boyfriend are at my house.”
Lucia’s eyes widen. “Are they trying to break in?”
“Not yet, but I wouldn’t put it past them. I’m presuming they’re looking for her car.”
“Is the car there?”