Page 48 of Mafia and Protector

RAFAEL

The next morning, I lay in bed watching Jessica, enjoying her serene expression, enjoying the peacefulness on her face while it lasted—because when she woke up, she might regret what had happened last night.

She stirred in my arms, her eyes drifting open.

“Hey,” I said quietly. I was on edge. Before yesterday, I could never have believed that she would want an intimate relationship with me. And today, in the cold light of a new day, I was apprehensive that she would regret her actions.

“Good morning,” she murmured.

“And is it a good morning?” I inquired.

I was rewarded as her soft gray eyes lit up. “Yes, it is,” she smiled.

I exhaled a sigh of relief—my patience had been worth it, and I was pleased I had been able to give her pleasure.

Sometimes during the day when she thought I wasn’t watching her, I would see a frown cross her features. And I knew she was thinking about the attack.

I hated that. My father could still get to her through her memories. And although I had killed him now, those memories would last forever in her mind. I wished that I could kill those memories too, but I knew that wasn’t possible.

JESSICA

I didn’t know what made me want to be close with Rafael last night of all nights.

Maybe I had been seduced by his power and aroused by his violence—perhaps I was going to make a better Mafia wife than I thought.

I could never forget that he was a Made Man and that his life was all about violence and hurting people. But, at the same time, something about him enthralled me, making me want to run my fingers over his strong physique and feel his electrifying touch in return.

When we went running together, I couldn’t help my eyes from drifting to his body and my mind wandering to thoughts about what it would be like to make love with him.

He had stuck to his promise of not touching me until I had asked him to, and that made me feel like perhaps I could trust him. I knew that if he wanted to, he could easily overpower me and force me to submit to him, but so far, he had stayed true to his word.

Whenever he ran his gaze silently over me, brushed lightly against me in bed, or put his hand against the small of my back, I would feel my skin prickle with acute awareness and my core tighten with a longing for more.

I don’t know what was making me feel this way, but I did know that I wanted more from Rafael and I didn’t want to hold back any longer.

RAFAEL

The next day, we had to go and choose a casket for our father’s funeral. Our mother had left it to us since she didn’t feel up to leaving the house. Her widowed sister had moved in with her, so she wasn’t by herself, plus all the Società wives had rallied around her.

Our mother wanted all her children involved in the decisions regarding the funeral. Therefore, today Gabriel and I drove over to the funeral parlor, picking up Nate and Nancia on the way.

“It’s bad enough you drag me to training all the time,” muttered Nate, dragging his hand through his blond-bronze hair. Our youngest brother was dressed in jeans, a white t-shirt, and a leather jacket. “Now you’re dragging me here as well.”

“Shut it,” snapped Gabriel at our youngest brother, clearly not wanting to deal with his teenage surliness today. “And where the hell is your tie?” he asked as he ran his gaze over Nate’s casual clothes, clearly thinking they weren’t appropriate for such a somber occasion. Nate had the whole moody, laid-back attitude that girls seemed to love, and his good looks only served to add to that.

As we walked into the funeral parlor, we were greeted by a scrawny kid who looked like he was barely out of high school. He was in dire need of a decent haircut and a suit that fitted him properly. “How can I help you? Are you looking for anything in particular?” he asked.

“Well, Simon,” said Nate, peering at the boy’s name badge, “obviously we’re looking for something to put adead body in.”

Simon visibly gulped.

“We’re here to look for a casket for our father,” said Gabriel, glaring at Nate.

“And do you have any model in mind?”

“What would you recommend?” asked Nancia politely, deferring to the expertise of the salesman.

“This is one of our most popular models,” said Simon, gesturing with his hands to an oak casket which had an image of angels etched onto its wood casing.