As I allowed myself to really feel the comfort coming from him to me, Rebel's presence settled in at our feet. A silent sentry standing guard and keeping my anxiety at a distance while I stroked her with my foot. "I wonder about her sometimes," Enzo murmured, reaching down a hand to scratch behind her ears. "She draws you out of your head when you get caught up in a behavior."
Glancing down to her, I watched those too wise eyes settle on me. "She does," I agreed as I considered it. It hadn't occurred to me before, since I tended to be distracted in those moments. But since we'd found her, she constantly drew me away from my pacing and nervous energy. "When you had your episode, she was right there too."
Enzo nodded his agreement. "She's either very intuitive or she was trained to do it at some point."
"Like a therapy dog?"
"I can't say that I have any experience with them, but I don't think it's normal dog behavior to be so intuitive to our needs. It might be worth looking into. I'm just stuck on the fact that of all the dogs in the world needing a home, we stumbled onto the perfect dog for us," he said, grabbing me around the waist and swinging me over until I straddled him. Looking down into stunning hazel eyes, I fought that throbbing need to run that always seemed to lurk just beneath the surface. It had never failed me before, but Enzo made me want to take the leap and trust him.
His fingers trailed over my hip, catching the hem of my shirt and dragging it up until cool air kissed my stomach. With his thumbs tickling the quivering muscles of my abs, I let my hair fall in a curtain around us and block everything else out. "I keep thinking about that lap dance. About the way your body moved," he whispered, pressing his thumbs into the bones at my hip and further distracting me from the conversation about Rebel. "What it would be like without so many clothes."
"You would know if you hadn't forbidden me from taking them off," I giggled, leaning in to touch my lips to his softly. "It's just a body. Who cares who sees it as long as no one else is allowed to touch it?"
"You'd be comfortable being naked around other men?" His voice deepened as I smiled at him.
"Maybe not completely naked," I admitted. "But I've just never felt the need to hide my skin. I'm comfortable with my body, and it's no different than any other woman's. I'm comfortable in my sexuality."
"I know," he said. "The confidence is sexy."
"Well you can't expect me to be that way only with you. I am the way I am, Enzo. I'm never going to give a shit that people watch me. I'll never stop being over the top and dancing to my own music. It's just who I am," I sighed, expecting the turn. "You can't expect me to change because you don't want anyone to look at me."
"I like you a little wild. I love that you can't be tamed or controlled. My only request is that I get to be there with you. I don't want you doing outrageous things when I'm not there to claim you and chase off the perverts. Be wild, Sadie. Just be wild with me to keep you safe while you do it." It was the first time I’d had a conversation with a man who didn’t try to keep me from my more adventurous tendencies outright. His words struck me differently, like he didn’t want to control me so much as protect me.
"Sooo, can I dance on a pole at Tease?" I knew the question pushed his limits, but he dropped his head to his chest and chuckled instead of getting angry with my insistence.
"Maybe someday, but your first dance is mine and mine alone. Fair?"
"Fair," I agreed, leaning down. His eyes held mine as my lips touched his tentatively. Intimately. It was just a kiss, but somehow it felt like more when I was the one to start it. With a groan he deepened the kiss, cupping my jaw and making me feel treasured as his tongue dueled with mine. Only the knowledge that his family would soon arrive kept me from grinding down on him and seeking that friction that I wanted from no one but him ever again.
"Your family will be here soon," I whispered as I pulled back from his rough mouth. His lips were flushed red, much like I imagined mine had to be.
"Fuck," he groaned, lifting me off his lap to set me on the couch next to him. He bent his neck, letting his head hang over the back of the couch as his hands scrubbed over his face. "You're becoming a problem."
"Me?" I laughed. I hadn't put myself in his lap or deepened the kiss. I hadn't stroked my bare skin or brought up a lap dance.
"I can't control myself with you. That's...new territory for me."
"Hmm. I like knowing I affect you that way since I self-combust the second you touch me," I confessed. Touching my hand to his forearm, I traced the vein that popped out the top, watching as his hair raised in response and the muscle tightened at my touch. Rebel's sharp bark was the only warning before the sound of beeping from the front door keypad came from the other side of the door. Seconds later, a crowd of people stepped inside, already chattering among themselves as they invaded Enzo's home like they were totally and completely comfortable in his space. Enzo chuckled in that deep voice of his as I stilled at his side.
Somehow nobody had spoken to him as they dropped bags and purses on the kitchen island. The smallest of the children was the first to notice us where we sat, squealing as she raced over. "Puppy!" Throwing her arms around Rebel, she squeezed her tight and my heart filled when Rebel wagged her butt excitedly and licked the girl's face over and over as she giggled. "Who's this, Uncle Enzo?" she asked, abandoning Rebel to throw herself into Enzo's lap and hug him just as tightly.
"This is Sadie," he said, tapping the girl’s nose affectionately. "How is my littlest girl?"
She giggled in response, tapping his nose in return while she grinned. Missing her two front teeth, she turned that bright smile my way and lunged off Enzo's lap to land in mine. "You're pretty," she said, ignoring Enzo as he laughed and stood from the couch. I got up to follow, wanting the safety that my nearness to him would offer as I glanced up from the girl in my arms to find the other people staring at me in shock.
"Gabriella, you don't just jump on people you've never met. Where are your manners?" one of the women asked as I hefted her up to hold her more firmly. She wrapped her legs around the side of my hip as I supported her, even though she was far too big to be carried. I couldn't bring myself to put her down even if I didn't want to stay where I was either.
"The little terror in your arms is Gabby if you didn't guess," Enzo laughed. I turned my face down to hers, returning the bright smile she leveled me with. How anyone could resist that toothless smile was beyond me. I'd probably act a fool to make her laugh. "The woman scolding her is her mom Gianna. The asshole next to her is her husband Tad," Enzo laughed as he walked over to kiss his sister's cheek. "The runts hiding behind the counter are my nephews Barrow and Lakely. Their parents are lurking in the corner whispering. That's my oldest sister Mia and her husband Mauro. Then there's Aria, Sienna, and Elisa—no kids or husbands for them." He pointed them out individually, making me wave awkwardly and wonder how I'd remember all the names.
I would so get even when the time came for him to meet my disaster of a family.
"And my mom Bianca," he added, kissing his mother's cheek fondly. She moved away from him quickly, darting under his arm as she made her way to me. Gabriella squirmed in my arm as the boys raced from around the island and into the living room, leaving me with no choice but to set her down so that she could chase after them.
"Oh, Mimmo!" Bianca said, stretching out her arms as she approached. Hands touching either side of my face, she studied me intently with tears brimming in her eyes. "She is beautiful."
"Si, Mamma," Enzo laughed. "Maybe don't scare her off before I put a ring on her finger or you'll never get your grandbabies."
"Sorry," she chuckled, releasing me and stepping back. "My Enzo has never introduced us to a girl before. He didn't even tell his poor Mamma he was seeing anyone."
I giggled nervously, glancing to Enzo and considering my words. "We haven't known each other for long," I said. "I don't think either of us saw this coming."
"Ah well, he is Italian, yes? They know what they want. His father kne
w he planned to marry me within days! The shit that he was." She leaned in, dropping her voice down to a whisper. "Poor Mia was knocked up within a month."
"I can hear you, Mamma," Mia groaned, but the smile on her face was thoroughly entertained even as she rolled her eyes at her mother's antics.
"This would probably be part of what Enzo means about scaring her off," Elisa said, glancing down at her cell phone to type out a message furiously.
"Put your phone away," Bianca scolded. "We are at your brother's home and meeting his girlfriend. How rude are you? She'll think I raised the lot of you in a barn."
"I'm pretty sure people who live in barns can't afford cell phones, Mom," Elisa laughed, but she tucked the phone into her back pocket as Enzo moved in for a hug.
"How's school?" he asked, kissing the top of her head.
"Calculus is kicking my ass. Why did I let you talk me into taking it again?"
"Language!" Bianca gasped, turning her attention back to me. "She was switched at birth. I swear it." I laughed, the statement so similar to something my Mama would say about me that I felt an instant kinship with Enzo’s youngest sister.
"Like Enzo doesn't swear!" the teenager yelled. "He's a grown man, Mom. Stop acting like we're in Church."
"Your brother is grown, yes. But you are not, my sweet, exasperating child. When you live on your own, then you may swear like a sailor if you so wish. For now, you follow my rules." The girl rolled her eyes, sinking further into Enzo's side.
"She had the same rules for me when I was young," Enzo reassured her, moving away slowly and coming back to my side. He wrapped himself around my back, comforting me through the contact that set me on edge. I didn't have much experience with a boyfriend's family. Patrick was the extent of my serious relationships, but he'd always kept me at a respectable distance in front of them. Enzo didn't seem to give a shit if his mother watched on with her eyes gleaming about the possibility of more grandchildren. Like the three racing around weren't enough to handle. "Food should be here soon. I ordered a delivery from Angel's."
"I could have cooked!" Bianca scolded. "You shouldn't spend so much money to feed us."
"Mamma, I have enough money to feed my family when they come over. I would have cooked something, but I didn't want Sadie to have to worry about any of that tonight. You're all terrifying enough, without having to worry about feeding you. I don't even like to cook for you."
"Having money is no reason to waste it, Lorenzo," she said, shaking her head as she moved to look at the dining room table. Immaculate as Enzo always kept it, she nodded approvingly and grabbed plates from the cupboard to set the table.
Enzo left her to it, grabbing his nephews by the shirts as they zoomed past. "Say hello to Sadie." He grinned, holding them still as the young boys tugged against his grip for freedom.
"Uncle Enzo!" Lakely groaned.
"Hi, Sadie!" Barrow said, bolting forward as Enzo released him.
Lakely leveled his uncle with a glare, squirming harder against his captivity. "Say hello, little demon," Enzo laughed. "Then you can race off and terrorize my house again."
"Hello!" Lakely finally said, stumbling over his feet when Enzo finally let him go. Rebel jumped up onto the couch, eager to be out of the path of the three terrors racing around.
"Is she yours?" Elisa asked, dropping onto the couch next to Rebel. My girl dropped her head into the teenager's lap, accepting the soothing scratches to counteract the insanity of the kids.
“She’s ours,” Enzo replied, making me swallow my instinctive response that Rebel was mine. Crap. Didn’t people get a dog together as a trial run for a child? My gaze drifted over to the kids zooming around the room, reminded of myself and the terror I’d been when I was younger.
Luna seemed so calm in comparison. Would Luna and Levi be that way when they got older, or were Enzo’s niece and nephews hyperactive like me?
Ugh.
My frenetic energy was enough for me. Trying to picture a kid with my energy just horrified me.
The doorbell rang and Enzo moved to the door to let in the delivery driver. Carrying entire bagfuls in, he set them on the potholders and cutting boards Bianca had laid out on the table for the food. It seemed that Enzo's family gave mine a run for their money when it came to having entirely too much to eat when they got together.
Once everything was set up, everyone gathered around the table. Bianca took one end, and Enzo the other with me at his side. Elisa sat across from me, clinging to her only brother in a way that told me they were particularly close despite the distinct age gap between them. The chairs around the table were tucked tightly together to accommodate everyone, but we all squeezed in.
"I ordered all the basics," Enzo said. "Spaghetti, chicken parm, primavera, arancini, and risotto. What do you want?"
"Arancini," I said, watching Enzo lean across the table to snag a rice ball for me. Rice was always the answer in my life.
"You'll need a bigger table soon, Lorenzo. Aria has a boyfriend, and he'll be joining us soon. We won't have any room left after that."
Enzo's expression darkened as he shifted his eyes to his sister. "Don't start with me. I'm older than you," Aria laughed, holding a fork out in warning. "I do what I want."
"Why haven't I heard of this boyfriend?" Enzo asked, making me chuckle beneath my breath.
"Because you'll chase him off!"
"He must not be much of a man if he would allow a brother to scare him away, Aria. You deserve someone who would fight for you—"
"Not all men want to physically fight to be with a woman. You realize that caveman behavior isn't normal, don't you? Did you fight Sadie's brother for the right to date her?"
"No. I fought Sadie herself." Enzo laughed at his sister's confusion as heat spread through my cheeks.
Fucking shit.
"I run a boxing gym called Fists of Fury," I explained. "So I'm entirely capable of taking care of myself. My brothers aren't the type. Besides, Enzo hasn't met my family yet."
Rebel curled up beneath Gabriella’s feet where they swung, letting the young girl tap her back and giggle. "Soon?" Bianca asked, making me drop my fork to the plate before I could even take a bite.
"Mhmm," I agreed, even as my heart rate sped to the point that I probably needed a hospital visit. Enzo's hand grabbed my knee under the table, an arrogant smile on his face that communicated that I would under no circumstances get out of that meeting.
Fuck.
Music pumped through my veins later that night, the crazy energy of the Underground calling to the wild in my soul. Enzo glared over at me as we descended in the old service elevator of the corporate office building to go to the basement. I wasn’t bothered by it in the slightest, enjoying the payback for the torment he’d subjected me to with his family.
I loved them. They were everything I could have dreamed of having for myself if I’d stopped to think of what my in-laws might be like one day. They only made me want to keep him more, and the battle that raged on inside me was entirely his fault for being so damn perfect.
I smirked up at him, licking my painted red lips and daring him to say another word. His growl when I'd come out of my bedroom in my apartment dressed for fight night had been enough to tempt me to stay home. There’d been a possession and danger in his eyes that warned anyone would suffer should they touch me.
Many men thought women didn't belong in the Underground unless they were there to be pussy for the fighters, but my appearance with Enzo would turn that on its head. The deep ruby bralette hugged my boobs perfectly, leaving my stomach revealed as the elevator came to a stop and we stepped into the crowd of people gathered to watch the opening fights. Mike wouldn't take the ring for another hour as the headliner for the night.
Eyes turned our way as my thighs peeked out of the slits in my long matching ruby skirt as I walked. Enzo looked delectable in his suit, standing out from the rougher crowd. It almost made me sad that his tattoos weren't on display, that the power in his bro
ad frame was mostly hidden behind his business persona. "Why aren't you in boots and jeans?" I asked, leaning into him as we walked. Fingers trailing up his arm, I longed for the feel of his skin against mine.
"Bellandi business means I wear a suit," he said, tugging at the collar of his shirt until the top button popped open. Just the peek of tanned olive skin through the gap in fabric made me lick my lips. "You keep that up and you and I are going to be doing something very unprofessional, Carina," he warned.
I sighed, unable to stop the need pouring through me with every thump of the music. Fight night turned me on. Every single time. Something about all the violence and controlled rage of watching two men fight for the fun of it felt like a force of nature that I couldn't stop from affecting the deepest, darkest parts of me. "I might like that," I whispered.
Enzo raised a brow at me, catching my chin with his fingers. "You know, Baby Girl, I'm starting to think you're a little bit of an exhibitionist. Giving me a lap dance, wanting to strip for men you don't know. Would your tight little pussy get wet if I hiked up one of your legs and made you support yourself on the rope? If I spread you so wide that everyone could see just how fucking perfect you look with your cunt wrapped around my cock?"
"Hmmm," I hummed, letting him guide me toward the door where the main arena would come into view. To the side of the doors, Bellandi men took bets, the crush of the crowd overwhelming while everyone raced to get their hit of illegal gambling in.
I bypassed the line, marching straight for the suited man who supervised the collection with sharp brown eyes. "Massimo," I said, pulling a roll of cash out of my bralette and placing it in his hand.
"On your boy?" he asked, turning a rare smile my way. Enzo stilled behind me, tucking himself into my spine tightly.
"Damn right," I agreed.
"What's this?" Massimo asked, waving my money around while he studied Enzo. "I thought you didn't date Bellandi men, Sandman?"
Rolling my eyes, I forced myself to smile at the slighted man who possessed a temper severe enough to burn down the world over such a thing. There was a reason he ran the Underground for Matteo—his rage was unparalleled. He tolerated no shit within his domain, and he was not above tossing trouble makers into the ring and taking care of them with his fists.
Shielded Wrongs: A Dark Mafia Romance (Bellandi Crime Syndicate Book 4) Page 19