Page 5 of Mafia Book Boyfriend

He leaned closer, his gaze burning into me. My breath caught in my throat. Was he going to kiss me? Here, now, with the wind combing our hair and the sun warming our skin? God, yes. Please. Instead, he pulled back and murmured, “Yeah.”

Sometimes, Xander surprised me with his one-word responses. His eyes would burn as if he had so much he wanted to say, but he’d hold back. Did he think I’d judge him? That made me sad. Because I had judged him. Hadn’t I? I’d matched him because of what I thought a typical mobster’s life would be like. He was different from the ‘book boyfriend’ I’d pictured. I’d imagined a life lived in shadows. Dark and dour, like the grim background of a beloved gangster movie. Instead, everything was lit with full Technicolor—like Dorothy landing in Oz.

After lunch, we swam in the sea. Xander sliced through the water like an Olympic swimmer. I splashed in after him, laughing as he grabbed me and pulled me under. When we surfaced, he kissed me. Final-fucking-ly.

His lips were salty and sweet, and I melted into him. He tasted like adventure and possibility. Like something I’d never experienced before but couldn’t live without. His tongue tangled with mine.

When we finally pulled apart, Xander whispered, “I’ve been wanting to do that since you stepped off the plane.”

I grinned. “Me too.”

“Can’t wait to do it again…”

I shrugged. “Why wait?”

I placed my hand on Xander’s chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart beneath my palm. His dark eyes locked onto mine, and I struggled to breathe—as if I were still underwater. Slowly, deliberately, he cupped my face, his thumbs brushing softly across my cheekbones. He never broke eye contact as he leaned in. Moving in slo-mo as if I hadn’t just given him permission to do this. His sandalwood and sea-air scent swamped me until taking each breath was inhaling parts of him. I closed my eyes when his lips met mine.

The kiss was gentle at first, a whispered caress that soothed but didn’t satisfy. How could it, when I wanted more—needed more? Then Xander’s arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me flush against him as the kiss deepened. As if he knew I’d need support when he took me under. His mouth became urgent and passionate. Fierce. Possessive. He kissed like he never wanted this to end. I agreed.

My fingers tangled in his hair as our mouths moved together, our tongues waltzing as if we’d danced this way a thousand times. The world fell away until there was nothing but the sun, the surf, this man, and this perfect kiss. When we finally broke apart, both breathless, I felt dizzy—drunk on the taste of him.

Xander rested his forehead against mine, his breath warm on my lips. “Adorra,” he murmured as we resurfaced.

I loved researching, but I could research a thousand years and never find a kiss to compare to this one. It was more than just physical attraction—it was a promise—a beginning.

“Adorra,” he said again. This time, the word was more of a groan. “We have to stop. Because if we don’t.” He tipped my face up, “If we don’t—I won’t be able to stop.” Xander shook his head before I could say, ‘Why stop.’ “And our first time will not be outside in the sand without proper protection for your body—your very beautiful body. He added the last while his fingers twitched as if they also wanted to resist his control. “When we lay down together, I don’t plan to get back up for hours. I intend to take my time and fucking savor you.”

He didn’t kiss me again. He couldn’t after saying that because if he did, I would have taken him myself. Assaulted him in broad daylight with his ever-present bodyguards within shouting distance.

* * *

Back at the villa, I took my time getting ready for dinner. I chose a flowing white dress that showed off a barely appropriate amount of skin and pinned my curls up in a loose, messy bun. When I walked onto the terrace, I found it transformed. Candles flickered in the twilight, and a table for two overlooked the cresting waves.

Xander stood as I approached. Giving me the response every girl dreams of. “You look… incredible,” he breathed.

We ate, talking about everything and nothing until the stars emerged shyly, peeking out of the darkness. He put his fork down, his voice low and intense. “Adorra, why did you sign up for the Book Boyfriend Dating Agency? The question is driving me crazy. You’re smart, sexy, funny, fucking gorgeous—why?”

I wrapped my hand around the crystal stem of my wineglass. My eyes watered, but I said it—even if it made me look weak… needy. “Not everyone sees what you see.”

“Then they’re blind.”

I waved my hands up and down my curves. Curves I’d only recently learned to love. “Tell the truth, if you saw me walking down the street, would you even give me a second glance?”

“In a fucking heartbeat.” He squeezed my hand and shrugged. “But then I’m Greek, and we eat the meat, not suck the bones.”

I laughed, shaking my head at his silliness. What the heck? I shrugged my shoulders and shared some more. Figuring I might as well go for it. “Honestly, it might have been me. I played volleyball and basketball in high school and bulked up a bit. Quit in college and rounded out a bit. The freshman fifteen was hard on a sister. Got bullied a bit, called some horrible nicknames like Fat Addie, and that’s all it took. We hear the negative voices as shouts and the positive ones as whispers—especially at nineteen. Were there guys who were attracted to me? Maybe. But I stopped being attracted to myself. And people feed off the energy you send. So when I put out, I’m ugly, I’m fat, I attracted people who saw me and treated me that way.”

“Ah, the law of attraction…”

“You know about that?”

“Like I said, I have a lot of women in my life, mother, aunts, cousins, grandma… Keep going. I love hearing your story.”

“Not that much more to it. I worked in a library and stocked up on every self-help book I could find. Slowly rebuilding myself and my confidence. That single change in mindset changed my body as well. Yes, I still have the curves—”

“Don’t you ever lose them,” he cut in vehemently.

I grinned. “I don’t think they’re going anywhere. They shifted and toned up a bit, but the biggest shift was in my mind. I learned to love exactly who I was as I am.”