Page 51 of Explosive Union
I cover my laughter with my fist. This family is a fucking riot.
“Teaching the little shit not to pick on his sisters. That’s something he’s learned from his da, for sure,” Jade replies, and then turns her head to me. “Why are you staring?”
“I like looking at you,” I reply with a smirk.
“Well don’t,” she snaps, her eyes filled with confusion.
“Babe,” I whisper against her ear, so that only she can hear me. “You’re fucking gorgeous. You make me laugh harder than I’ve ever laughed before, and you’re smart as fuck. Not to mention the whole hating thing makes me harder than stone. You think that when I have you beside me, I’m not going to look?” I shake my head. “You’re fucking deluded. You’re mine, Jade, and I can do whatever the fuck I want to.”
Fear creeps into her eyes, and for the first time I see the softer side to this woman. “Trust me, Rocco, there’s nothing much to look at.”
I see I’ve been wrong about Jade. That I judged her too quickly. She's not crazy. Each time I speak with her, I find I’m intrigued even more by her. She’s got the bravado of the Clann. She stares right through you as though you’re nothing to her. But I’ve seen a glimpse into the vulnerable side. I want that again. But I know it’s going to take a miracle for her to open up to me.
“That’s where you’re wrong,principessa, so fucking wrong. Every man in here stares at you because your beauty outshines everyone around you. Every woman stares at you because you exude sexiness and authority. You’re a fuck of a lot to look at, and I’m the luckiest motherfucker that you’re going to be my wife.”
Her breath hitches as she stares at me, and for the first time since we met, neither one of us are glaring at the other. There’s no hostility, just openness.
“Careful, Rocco, you wouldn’t want anyone seeing this side of you.”
I smile, my hand resting on her thigh. She tenses beneath my touch, but I don’t move it. She needs to get used to it. I’ll be the only person touching her from now on. “No one else will. Christ, Jade, you’re going to be my wife. I’m not a fucking monster to you.”
She tilts her head to the side and whispers words that make me on edge. “You’ll be one of the few that won’t be then.”
Before I get a chance to answer, the door bursts open and three Irishmen storm in, their eyes raging with anger. Guns drawn and ready in their hands, their gaze lands firmly on our table.
“Boss, we’ve got trouble coming. The Masters are two minutes out,” the younger of the three men says.
I lose all train of thought when my fiancée stands up. “Okay, Ryan, tell the men to secure the perimeter. Get Jacob in here and have him escort the women out,” she tells him without batting an eyelid.
“On it, boss,” he replies, and the men rush back out of the room.
The Gallaghers instantly move, securing the women ready to be taken from the room.
I stare at my fiancée in shock. When the fuck did she become a boss? How the hell is this even possible?
CHAPTER14
ROCCO
Iget to my feet and turn to my father, who’s smirking. The fucker knew it from the get-go.
Goddamn it.
This isn’t right. Fuck no. My woman does not lead the fucking Mafia. She’s nowhere involved in it.
But watching as she bosses the fuck out of everyone, I realize she’s natural at it.
I don’t like it, and I’m sure as fuck not going to stand around and let her get hurt. She pulls a gun from somewhere in her dress, and I’m wondering where the hell she managed to hide it. That fucking dress barely covers her body, let alone a weapon.
Gunfire sounds outside, just as Jacob rushes back into the room. I move to my woman, wanting to ensure she’s protected. But that motherfucker tries to make a beeline for her. One that I block.
“You were given an order,” I snap at him. “Fucking do your job.”
“Jacob,” Finn shouts. “Get Destiny and the other women out of here, now.”
Jade’s not paying any attention to us, but that fucker gives her a lingering look before he rushes over to Destiny and the other Gallagher women and leads them out the back door.
“Jade,” I say as I get closer to her.