Page 44 of King of the Bronx

Chapter Eighteen

Enzo

Looking out the window of my room, I watched as Raven peeled off her clothes to reveal the black bikini underneath. My dick hardened as I ran my eyes from her long legs up to her chest. I was going to have to thank Cal later for picking out the swimsuit. It left little to the imagination. I imagined wrapping my arms around her perfectly curved waist. This woman was going to be my wife, so I had the rest of my life to admire her body. Even though I was marrying her so she’d have Cosa Nostra’s protection, I couldn’t deny that I liked the idea of being fused to her for the rest of our lives. I wanted a claim on the woman who so desperately didn’t want to be claimed. She sat at the edge of the pool, letting her legs dangle in the water. Fuck, I wanted to join her, but she probably needed some space. I had just flown her across the country to marry me. I let out a sigh and walked away from the window, my dick fully at attention. I was going to have to jack off in the shower later.

I never imagined getting married, but to my mom’s delight, that’s exactly what I was doing. After I took care of her brothel, I wondered if she would go back to running it, and if she would want to live with me or if it would be like this little thing between us never happened. Even if that’s how we ended up, living two separate lives, I’ll be happy that she at least enjoyed Italy as much as she already has. She wasn’t the easiest person to read, but I’d picked up on that. A knock sounded on my door. I answered it to see Cal standing on the other side.

“Your mom’s plane should be landing in four hours.”

“Thanks.”

“You need anything else, Boss?” Cal asked.

“I’m good. Just keep an eye on Raven, will ya?”

“Absolutely.”

I closed the door. Four hours was just enough time to get some sleep. My body was begging me to rest, and I usually ignored it, but today, I decided to give in. I stripped off my clothes and got into the soft bed.

*****

I woke in a panic, searching for something…I’m not sure what, but my eyes scanned the blankets. That’s when I realized the room was pitch black. I rubbed a hand over my face. Shit.

I grabbed my phone off the bedside table to check the time. It was nine o’clock. I’d slept the entire day. I quickly got into the shower and changed into a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt before leaving the room. The sound of laughter echoed off the walls and floated to my floor. What the hell? I followed the sound to the dining room table where my mom and Raven were seated at the table. Raven’s hair was piled on top of her head like she’d thrown it up after her swim. She was dressed in one of my T-shirts and pajama pants. Had she packed one of my shirts in her carry-on bag?

“Oh, look who’s up,” my mom teased. She was also dressed for bed, with a cup of steaming tea warming her hands. I bent down and kissed her cheek.

“How was your flight?” I asked.

She waved me off. “It was fine. I was just catching your fiancée up on all your embarrassing stories.”

I rolled my eyes. “Great.”

My mom has probably been waiting for this opportunity my whole life. She stood up from the table and placed her cup in the sink.

“I’m heading off to bed.” She wrapped me in a tight hug, then squeezed Raven’s shoulder. “You are going to make a beautiful bride.” She said before leaving us in the kitchen.

I sat down in the chair my mom had vacated. Raven and I were close enough to touch, and I wanted to run my hand over her soft skin to feel the goosebumps that would rise with my touch, but she had to be the one to reach out, to beg for me to touch her.

“Your mom is nice.”

I shrugged. “She’s been wanting me to get married for a long time. I think she’d almost given up hope.”

“Doesn’t she find this a little odd? That I just came out of nowhere?”

“My mom was married to a made man for many years. She has learned not to ask questions.”

Raven raised her eyebrow at me. “Is that what you think I’m going to do once we’re married? Not ask questions?”

I smiled. Raven could never be the typical mob wife. “No. You are already a part of this world. I can’t stop you from asking about my businesses.”

She looked down at the table. “Why are we getting married?”

“For your protection.”

“I know, but why do you care so much? You could have just killed me. Or let me figure out everything on my own. Why are you helping me?” She lifted her eyes up to stare into mine.

“I don’t know.” I tried to think of an explanation. I wouldn’t do this for anyone else, but I felt something for Raven that I’ve never felt for anyone else. I wanted to be her savior for some reason. That first night I saw her at the underground, I just wanted to get her on her back, but as time went on, it grew into something stronger. Any other woman in her situation would jump at the opportunity for me to help her, but Raven was fighting me every step of the way. Maybe it was because I wanted to show her that she could trust me. “I can’t walk away knowing that no one has ever taken care of you.”

Her lip twitched like she wanted to smile. I didn’t feel good about forcing her into a marriage, but I needed to protect her. No one had ever fought for her or even helped her. I wanted to be that person for her. The person she could lean on when life got too heavy.

“I should probably get some sleep,” she said.

“I’ll see you in the morning.”

She got up from the chair, but before walking away, she bent down and pressed her plump lips to mine. The kiss was soft but heated. Too soon, she pulled away and I heard the sound of footsteps climbing the stairs.

I sat at the table for a minute in the silence. It was evening in New York, and I didn’t have anything urgent to get to. The quiet and stillness was uncomfortable. I was never still. I always had something to do, someone to talk to, business to handle. I paced the kitchen for a while before opening the fridge and pulling out leftover pasta that my mom and Raven must’ve made for dinner. After eating, my body started to feel tired again despite all the hours I’d slept, but I didn’t want to go back to my room alone. I climbed the stairs and slowly opened Raven’s bedroom door. The creaking sound it made must have woken her up, but she didn’t stir. The only light in the room came through the window from the moon. I walked across the floor and got under the covers. The bed dipped with my weight, but she still didn’t move. She might turn around and tell me to get out, but I was hoping she wouldn’t. After a minute of no movement from her, I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her soft body to my hard chest. I waited until her breathing evened out before allowing myself to close my eyes and fall asleep too.