Mafia Protection (Tomassi Series Book 1)

by AA Lee

  His intimidating stature almost made it impossible for her to speak, but she managed to answer his question. “I came to tell you I’m sorry.”

  “Say that again,” he said. He had heard her the first time. Why would he make her repeat herself?

  “I said I’m sorry for not knowing how you felt,” she whispered and looked away.

  He turned her face back to look at him. “I thought I wasn’t capable of feelings.”

  She never expected his eyes to look sad. They made her want to touch him, to hug him, and shut out his surroundings. Maybe he needed her to balance out the brutality of his world.

  Seconds later, he let go of her chin and waited for her to say something else. Maybe that was the best she could hope to accomplish tonight. “Fine,” she said at his indifference to her being there. “I’m sorry to have bothered you. Good night, Angelo.”

  She started to turn away with the disappointment she felt, but Angelo grabbed her hand and pulled her inside the room. “Is that all you needed from me?” His gaze made her shiver as she looked back. She did not want to leave. She looked forward to the rare affection that he might show. Was the thought even possible?

  “If you made it a point to come here in the middle of the night, why are you trying to leave?”

  Ella took a breath. Under his penetrating eyes, her legs threatened to give way to her weight. Then her breathing hitched as he slowly turned her to sit in his bed. He knelt down in front of her and grabbed her hands. His face nearly was at eye level with her breasts. “I know I am an intimidating ass, but I don’t want you to run.”

  She could not take her eyes off him. Her body started to tremble as his fingers slid across her knees, lifting the hem of her skirt. His hands stroked the area above her thighs that no man had ever touched, and Angelo was acquainting her with his touch.

  “I am alone, Ella, and you make me feel something I didn’t think was possible.”

  His nails skimmed higher on her skin, past her navel to her breasts, until he lifted the black dress over her head. The only thing left were her sheer panties and lacy brassiere. Ella could feel the deep rosy heat spread across her cheeks as she closed her eyes. Her body felt unusually warm.

  When she opened them again, Angelo had dropped his shirt to the floor. Several visible pink scars marked his ribcage, and his chest showed an old gunshot wound hidden behind thick scar tissue. She could not imagine the near-death experiences he had faced, having been branded never to forget.

  Angelo could not have had an easy time being born with his name, knowing as a child he would be handed charge. How long had he been forced to stifle every emotion that he may have felt in a normal life? He held proof of his dangerous encounters as he kneeled in front. He needed her affection if he would ever be able to feel.

  Ella scooted off the bed’s edge and slid both of her legs to either side of his. Her palms touched his cheeks until they rested around his head. His warm breaths heated as she moved her face closer. Angelo’s lips turned upwards. It was a small and gentle smile. He seemed to take pleasure in her touch against his skin. “Are you staying with me tonight?” he asked.

  She swallowed and did not answer. The cool draft from the room formed chills against her skin. She lowered her eyes, tracing one of the spanning scars from his lowest right rib to his shoulder. Her face dipped, gently kissing the flaw as she closed her eyes. “I can make these disappear if you will let me past your wall.”

  Angelo did not give her time to look at him again. Both of his hands grasped her chin and lifted, dragging her to the mattress behind as his body hovered above her. He kissed her deliberately; the powerful urgency of his mouth gave her no time to object. She could feel an emotional side of him that he normally kept hidden. He almost seemed vulnerable to her too.

  A slight gasp escaped her mouth at the way he made her feel with his body now touching hers. With her skin exposed to the warmth of his chest, it was not difficult for him to take charge. His grip tightened around her back. She found him on top of her in the folds of his sheets.

  “You are shaking,” he said.

  Of course her body was shaking, but she would not refuse his advances and continued to kiss him as his fingers tangled through her hair. Her trembling increased when he straddled her. The weight of his upper body pressed her further in the mattress. His mouth kissed her under the chin, moving lower above her breasts. Her intense breaths mimicked the rise and fall of her chest. Still, she never pushed him away. She wanted him, more of him, except he paused and looked above her breasts to her eyes.

  “I want nothing more than to make you stay. I could force you and nobody would tell me differently, but I want you to choose. If you leave, you will face no harm from me.” Angelo spoke low in a breathy, forced whisper. “If you stay, I will have my way with you and show you exactly what being my partner and wearing that ring involves.”

  Ella’s heart pounded underneath his muscular frame, but she did not attempt to move. Her silence caused him to elaborate, giving her one more chance to back out. “Do you understand what being my lover means for you? It means you will be subject to this lifestyle forever—to the mafia, being the woman of a boss. There is no turning back once you are with me. I will never let you leave.”

  Ella closed her eyes and readied her mind to no return, but Angelo only granted her a few seconds before nudging her cheek and waiting for a reply. “If you stay, you give me full control over your life. Is that what you really want? To give up your freedom? At times, you are going to hate me. There is no skirting around the truth.”

  Ella remained silent as she looked in his eyes. His arm gripped around her back and pulled her to his chest. She was trapped between him and the bed, yet that is exactly where she wanted to stay. “Answer me, Ella. I want to hear you say that you want to stay.”

  “You leave me with no choice,” she replied. His warning was perfectly clear.

  “No, it is completely your choice, and I want to hear you say it.”

  “You might be in the mafia. It might be hard for me, but” “she looked him directly in the eyes. “I can’t help who I’m falling in love with.”

  Angelo briefly looked away as though he did not hear correctly; his expression turned shocked that she had said it at all. “You are falling in love with me?” He looked as though the words were foreign. Had nobody ever told him they loved him? “Ella, I don’t deserve love—no one’s love but especially not yours.”

  It did not matter what he thought. He could see it in her eyes. She knew who he was and what he was capable of doing. She wanted him to know her feelings in spite of everything else.

  Why was he so quiet? She gazed at him with fearful anticipation of what he thought about her now. “You shouldn’t have fallen for me, Ella. Now I can’t let you go,” he said.

  His mouth took over every worried thought she had, and his kiss made her head feel light. His fingers unfastened the snap on her spine, leaving the cool air to rest against her skin. She glanced at him for a mere second but closed her eyes again, savoring the soft massages against her breasts. Her breathing became heavy as she enjoyed his callused fingers leaving new sensations in their wake. Her mouth parted and her fingers clenched the strands of his hair. She could feel him slide the last piece of material that covered her skin.

  No one had ever handled her that way. She could not help her soft moans as she relinquished herself to his control, allowing him to caress, trace, and manipulate her body in a manner completely unknown. Ella accepted the thrills, the heat and tingling. She yearned for more as her body lifted to his touch. An intense euphoria started to build, threatening her body with an intoxicating heat that wanted reprieve.

  “You respond well to me.” He gently kissed her forehead. His slight grin showed his satisfaction with her reaction.

  “Angelo,” she whispered. She was almost delusional when he kissed her and brought her to an elated state of bliss. Her breaths trembled against his lips as she surrendered to his b
idding. Ella panted and clasped the sheet tight between her fingers until the waves passing through her lessened.

  Angelo watched her and stood, taking seconds to slide down his briefs; his naked body was the essence of intimidation. “I saw pills in your medicine cabinet at your house. Do you still take those?” he asked.

  “Yes, oh,” she paused, “but it’s not like it seems. I take them to help with pain.” Ella’s words came out fast as he spread her knees apart and lowered his naked body between.

  “Yes, Ella, but are you still taking them?” She nodded; her breaths too shaky to say anything else as he lowered his hips to hers. “Am I your first?”

  Caught off guard by the question, she nodded again, but there was no way she could look him in the eyes. Her face flushed and turned away. Ella had never felt so embarrassed before.

  “Look at me, Ella,” he murmured and laced her fingers with his against the pillow above. “You need to relax, close your eyes. Breathe,” he said and pushed his hardened length through before she could dwell in her fear anymore.

  “Angelo…” She clenched his hands with her nails. Ella could barely take the intensity of the sudden pressure as he fully entered, consuming her purity. Her short breaths ceased as she tried to manage the pain of his length.

  “You need to breathe,” came his gentle words through the pain. She opened her eyes to him, looking at him for some sort of comfort to her affliction. She could see how he withheld all movement with her distress. She felt the soft caresses of his thumbs against the tops of her hands.

  “Are you all right?” he asked when her body started to relax. She still felt a lingering ache but nothing like before. “It won’t be like that again,” he whispered and kissed each of her cheeks where the tears had wet her eyes. He started to push against her again but stopped. His easy stroke did not seem to cause much discomfort; Ella wanted him to move against her more.

  “Please keep going,” she whispered. “It doesn’t hurt that much anymore.” She wrapped her hands around his shoulders and pulled him closer, encouraging him to continue. “Do you know how long I have wanted you, Angelo?”

  “Ella,” he uttered and gently placed his mouth on her lips, showing her a far more intimate side that she absolutely adored. He may not have used words to tell her how he felt, but she could feel it with the gaze of his eyes, with the touch of his hands, and through his gentle thrusts. He showed her with his body until his movements stilled.

  Afterwards, their heartbeats eventually relaxed in a steady rhythm as they enjoyed the other’s warmth. Angelo lifted himself and rolled to his side as he continued to gaze at her. It made her feel embarrassed. He moved several strands from her eyes, exposing the pink on her cheeks.

  “You are going to make a very good girlfriend.” He wrapped her with his arms and squeezed her to his chest. “I am going to enjoy having you by my side.”

  Ella blushed again when he kissed the blush straight off her lips and circled his fingers along her neck. He consumed her body. She felt his affectionate side that she had hoped to see. She anticipated what would come. A part of her feared what the status of his lover would bring. Angelo was not the ordinary man she ever dreamed of having, but it did not matter how it turned out. She felt the smile on her lips as she shut her eyes, content to be in his arms.

  CHAPTER 28

  “Ella,” Angelo whispered in her ear the next morning. She moaned. She had been trying to find a comfortable spot for the last ten minutes when Angelo lowered the sheet and looked at her side. Her injury looked slightly irritated. He had tried to be careful with her the night before but their activity had aggravated the wound and she needed to take some medicine.

  “Ella.” He spoke a little louder and gave her arm a light shake. “Wake up. I need you to take these.”

  “All right.” She blinked her eyes open and adjusted quickly. The only light in the room came from the restroom door.

  “You should feel better in a few minutes,” he said and set a bottle of water down next to her. “I have some things to take care of. Why don’t you come see me when you feel better?”

  Ella’s knees rose closer to her chest with her small nod. She smiled with the nuzzling of his hand in her hair and then with his gentle kiss. She loved that he made sure she was comfortable before he left.

  Ella would have preferred to stay in bed, but the clock showed nine and she needed to figure out something to do. Since the previous night had almost turned into a disaster with Lila, maybe she would just go to the beach. She had not been there in a while, and Angelo would probably be busy all day. The ocean air may help her reassess her situation.

  When Ella finished her shower, she looked around the room and groaned. All she had to wear was the dress she had worn the night before. She picked it up off the floor and shook it. The wrinkles would make her look shameful as she walked through the hallway and back to the other room. What choice did she have? Ella pulled the material over her head and sighed. She hated to put on something dirty after she showered.

  She looked around for her shoes when her eyes instantly returned to the bed. She could not leave Angelo’s room with those sheets still there. She yanked them off fast. Her face felt warm all over again as she reflected on her night with him. Whoever cleaned would have to apply fresh bedding, because there was no way she was leaving those behind when she left.

  The hallway was quiet, and Ella walked to the other end before anyone could see her at all. She thought she was in the clear. When she entered, she let out a yelp. The last person she expected or wanted to see was Brett. He was busy stuffing all of her clothes and anything else that belonged to her in a box. Angelo would not dismiss her after one night, would he? She did not think so, but he must have done this before.

  “What are you doing with my clothes, Brett?” she asked.

  As if he just now noticed her, Brett looked up and smiled. “I’m cleaning this room. Boss said you aren’t staying here anymore.”

  “What do you mean? Are you taking my stuff back to my house?” Brett continued to smile as he threw in another article, until Ella could take no more of his cheerful attitude. “Aren’t you going to answer me?”

  Brett paused and looked at her with an innocent expression. She wanted to slap the warped grin off his face. “I don’t ask questions. I don’t answer questions. I only do what the boss tells me to do. If you have questions, maybe you should go ask him. He’s in his office.”

  “I need to change.” Ella picked up the ends of her wrinkled dress. “I can’t walk around looking like this.”

  Brett shrugged. “I’m not allowed to let anyone touch these things. Boss’s orders.”

  “But those are my belongings, Brett,” she argued. “I need them.”

  “Sorry, the boss was pretty clear when he told me he would shoot me if anyone touched them. He may not have meant you too, but I’m not taking any chances.” Brett paused as if to justify his words. “You have seen him in action.”

  “Fine.” She huffed out the door and stormed down the hallway. She started out fast, but her pace slowed as she reached the other end and stopped in front of Angelo’s office door. With a feeling of déjà vu, Ella found herself in the same awkward situation, wearing the same outfit as the night before. She knocked anyway. Again, he did not answer.

  Ella placed her finger on the sensor. She needed to know what he was doing with her clothes. When the door jarred open, Ella smiled to herself. It worked! She peeked in the room and saw Angelo sitting at his desk, focusing on the computer screen in front of him. He merely glanced at her and then returned his attention back to the screen. Was he going to ignore her?

  ***

  The computer and the papers in front of Angelo made him wary of Ella’s entire situation. Angelo could not figure out why any man would willingly put himself between two mafia groups. Her father was either brilliant or the dumbest man alive.

  Angelo could still see Ella standing in his peripheral view. He smiled inwardly. How
long would she stand there with the door open, waiting for him to acknowledge her? He did tell her to come see him when she was feeling better. The dress she wore from the night before confused him though. Why had she not changed?

  “Shut the door,” he pointed. Ella shook her head and looked disappointed. Why was she leaving? “With you on the inside, Ella,” he added and almost laughed outright. It seemed obvious that he wanted her there; else, he would not have asked her to come.

  “Oh,” she mumbled. Angelo returned his focus to the computer, expecting her to sit down and wait for him to finish. By the time she did walk to the sofa, he was through. Her back had just touched the cushion when his finger raised and motioned her to his desk.

  Ella stood up, brushed down the seat of her dress—not that it would help the mess of the material—and walked around the desk to where he sat. Angelo patted his lap and pulled her on top. “Feeling better?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she answered.

  Angelo ran his fingers against the top of her leg. He enjoyed his time with her last night and looked forward to more of those moments. She was such a naïve girl that he could not help but want to keep her safe.

  “Good.” He nodded and set down her emergency cell phone on the desk. “You had heard of Bonadio’s name before. By chance have you heard of the name Gregorio?”

  “Yes,” she replied. “I heard the name a couple of times.”

  “Okay.” He nodded and continued in his thoughts.

  “Why?” she asked and picked up the phone to examine it, but he took it back out of her hands. “I asked you why,” she said. Angelo let out a small breath. People usually did not repeat themselves when he did not answer right away.

  “That phone is registered to Gregorio,” he answered. “And police records list the man that you say is Jacob Sullivan as Robert Collins.”