by Cassie May
Since the bakery is empty after the heavy lunch rush I decide to try something new in the kitchen. I put the sign on the door that customers should ring the bell – my regulars know the deal – and walk over to the kitchen. I grab a bag of flour and put it on the counter. Before I can turn around two strong arms are wrapped around my waist.
“Oh my god! What the fuck…?”
A scratchy kiss is placed on my neck and I feel the heat rising from my pussy to my whole body. “Shh, cara. It’s just me.”
Turning around in his arms I look him in his dark eyes. “Matteo, what are you doing here? I locked the door. How did you come in?”
He chuckles and places a quick kiss on my lips. “You didn’t think that this lock could hold me back from coming to you, did you? It wasn’t even hard to pick it. You really need a better security system, cara."
I feel the heat subside and get a little pissed. “And that is your business, why exactly?”
A smile curls his lips and he grabs my chin. “Aaah, that sass. I missed it a little and I missed you, cara. A lot. I wish I could have called more often or come here to eat the Panettone you saved for me.”
“What? Wait? How do you know? And why couldn’t you call more often?” Did he let someone watch me? Why didn’t I notice? Shit, seems as if I have to pay more attention to my surroundings.
“I know that, because I sent men over every day since I left your bed to buy the last slices of Panettone for me, but you always refused to sell them in the evening. Since you already told me that you don’t eat much sweets this was the only logical conclusion for me. I couldn’t call, because unfortunately my brother was always behind me to find the snitch that steals the money from the clubs, but today I couldn’t wait any longer. I am sorry if you felt neglected. I am going to make it up to you.” With that he lowers his lips to mine and it needs way more strength than I would like to, to put my finger on his lips and stop him.
“Just one moment, gigolo. How can you be sure that I didn’t keep the Panettone for someone else? Maybe there is another guy that has captured my attention after you only called twice in the last five days.” His eyes go even darker and his grip on my chin grows stronger.
“Don’t ever try to make me jealous, cara. Since the day I met you, you were mine and I am going to make damn sure to keep it like this. You have only seen my nice side so far, but I have a beast in me. I am a Made Man, Valerie. Do you know what that means?” He traces my lips with his finger and I completely lose the track of my thoughts.
Shaking my head I look up to him again and see his eyes soften again. “That means I killed a man for the Family. I was thirteen when that happened, cara. I am not doing dirty work anymore, but since I am the right hand for my brother it still happens that I have to do things that are not nice. This is my life, Valerie and I would die for my brother and the Family.”
Taking a deep breath I close my eyes. He killed a man when he was thirteen. The Family is always going to come before me. Nothing is ever going to be as important as his brother for him. I know him for a week now. His first kill was when he was thirteen. “Where does that leave me, Matteo? Am I always coming second place or even further behind after your brother and the mob? Don’t you think I deserve more?”
He brushes his lips softly over mine and I savor the contact. I know there won’t be many more. He is going to break it off with me after this many questions. No man wants this clingy unsure woman I represent at the moment. “You deserve the best of all, cara. I don’t know where we are headed with our relationship, but if I would ask you right now if you would give up your bakery for me, because I think it is not safe for you to work here you would give me a hell no, wouldn’t you?” He waits till I nod and continues. “I can say the same for the Family. They are part of me and if I wouldn’t have them I would be a different man. A better man? Maybe, but I am the one who stands in front of you now and I am not leaving you until you tell me so and even then I can’t promise you that I won’t fight for you. We are going to start this way together and if you feel a lesser person because of the way I handle things, talk to me. I promise I won’t go dark like I did during the last few days. I am going to call you more.”
He smiles and I feel my insides melt a little. God, this man. He knows exactly what to say to make me putty in his hands. I have to keep an open mind, though. “What happens if I want out, Matteo? You already told me too much. I am a risk you can’t take and I am sure your brother won’t take this risk after we break up. I am as good as dead right now, just because you are with me. I don’t know if I can do that.”
Matteo closes his eyes and I wait for the next half-truth he is going to tell me. I don’t believe for a moment that I can climb up in his priorities, but that’s okay. “You are right, cara. You are in danger, because you are with me, because I brought you with me on Christmas and because of the situation here in New York. You are a weakness I don’t need right now. Actually I have enough shit to solve that I don’t need another complication. Someone embezzles money from our clubs. I don’t know how long and I don’t know who it is, but they are getting bolder. They don’t hide as good as in the past. I shouldn’t tell you this, but for one time I want to be selfish. I want to be with you and I am going to do everything that I can to protect you. I won’t let anything happen to you, Valerie. Do you believe me that?”
He looks sincere and I want to believe him. Oh how I want to believe him, but I know I can’t I am already falling for him and it is going to destroy me when he leaves me. I know it. “What if Federico demands that you kill me? What then, Matteo?”
“I promise you here and now that I won’t ever let him harm you.” With that he pulls out a knife and before I can really understand what happens he has cut himself over his palm and thick drops of blood ooze out. He grabs my hand and presses our palms together. “I, Matteo Luciano, promise you Valerie Carter, that I will protect you with my life no matter what harm comes toward you. I am going to fight for you until I breathe my last breath. This is what I say, this is what is going to happen.”
Oh. My. God. He has sworn a blood oath. A blood oath to protect me. From his Family. From the world. Oh my god. I feel my knees weaken and grab the counter to steady myself. Matteo wraps a kitchen towel around his hand and guides me to a chair. Gulping the air in my suddenly constricted lungs I try to make sense of what happens to me. A few weeks ago I was a normal woman. I owned a bakery, I had no problems with my customers, well with most of my customers and now this. I am already falling for a man I should run away from. A man I should fear, instead I find myself drawn to him. I want to get to know him. Explore the tattoos I only got glimpses from when we slept together. I want to just be with him. Now he has sworn a blood oath to take the rest of my fears away and I feel another piece of my heart irrecoverably drawn to him.
“I think I have to go home. Can you drive me?” My voice sounds mechanic and lifeless and I feel Matteo’s eyes resting on me.
“What did I do, cara? What makes you freak out now? I am sorry, but this was the only thing I could think of that would make you trust me, because I trust you. More than I should and more than is possibly good for you. Talk to me, please.” His hands grab mine and he strokes the back of my hand carefully.
“I want to talk, Matteo, but not here. Please, drive me home. We’ll talk there.”
Chapter 6
Matteo
On the drive back to Valerie’s I agonize over the things Valerie could say to me. I am nearly sure that she is going to break it off with me. Okay, maybe the blood oath was a little bit too much, but I couldn’t stand the fear that I saw in her eyes when she talked about Federico.
Remembering my brother my thoughts drift over my last few days and the conversation I had with him.
“How did it go with Clara? Have you talked to her after the Christmas dinner?”
He crosses his arms in front of his chest. His face gives nothing away as always. “I have, if you want to call it talking. It wa
s more like a screaming and her trying to use my face as a scratching post. I have enough, Matteo. I saw your face when she started to accuse your woman of stealing our stuff. I won’t let my fucking wife destroy any chance of happiness you can have with this woman.”
Shaking my head I answer mechanically. “She isn’t my woman, Rico.”
“Yet. She may not be your woman yet, but you are on your way there. I hope she wasn’t too scared from what happened at the dinner.” He sounds concerned and worried as always when something happens to me.
“Well, she allowed me to stay with her after the dinner and I am sure we would be further in our relationship if you haven’t called me that damn early.” I can’t hide my smirk. “As for the fear, I think I could calm her down. You wouldn’t go after her if it wouldn’t work out with us, would you?” I can’t be sure till he answers my question. Federico is anal about protecting the Family.
An expression crosses his face, but it is over too fast for me to recognize it. “Matteo, you are my little brother. My only family by blood in this country, please don’t ever underestimate my dedication for wanting to see you finally happy. I won’t ever do something to destroy or endanger that happiness. I won’t harm Valerie, not now, not in the future and not if you two break up. I will keep an eye on her if that happens, though and maybe if you keep on seeing her even then, but right now I am going to give you the freedom to explore that. And your feelings.”
I let go of a breath I wasn’t aware of holding. “Thank you, big brother.” I let the comment about the only family by blood slip and don’t mention Antonio, our last brother. Ever since I told Valerie about him I think more about him. I know what he does, that he is a big shot in the New York Rugby Club. But he never looked back, never made any effort to contact us. And Federico never mentions him. Not since the day Antonio left us.
Suddenly I am engulfed by Rico’s strong arms and he hugs me fiercely. “You are very welcome, little brother. I don’t want you to be stuck in the same loveless shitty marriage than I am, so please do me a favor and follow your heart, even if it is just a quiet voice. It is always right.”
Surprised I push him back and force him to look at me. “What are you not telling me, Rico? You are normally not a mushy talky kind of guy. What happened?”
He shakes his head. “I just want you to be more like mom and dad with your woman and not like Clara and me, Matteo. Mom and dad always were happy and even if I obviously can’t have something like this, you deserve it. Don’t let it slip through your fingers. That girl adores you already.” With that he turns around and leaves the room, leaving me completely fluttered.
A small hand on my thigh snaps me back to reality and I realize that I drove the whole way to Valerie’s without really paying attention to my surroundings. “Do you want to come in now?” She looks curious but doesn’t ask further. I nod, get out of the car and help her out as well. She smiles at me and squeezes my hand shortly before walking up to her house.
She opens the door and yells through the hallway. “Jess, are you here? Matteo’s here with me.”
We hear stumbling and cursing and finally Jess appears on top of the stairs wearing only a pair of panties and a skimpy tank top. She looks as if she just woke up and her eyes are trying to focus on Valerie and me. “Fuck. Have I overslept? Do we have to leave for the club already?”
Valerie chuckles and shakes her head. “No, bestie. I’m sorry, I woke you up, but I thought you would be awake by now.” Jess mumbles something I don’t understand and disappears again.
The moment Val turns around I see uncertainty in her eyes and curse myself for it “Do you want to sit down on the couch, cara?”
She nods and I guide her to the couch we sat a few days before. “Okay, what do you fear, Valerie? Talk to me.”
“I am scared, Matteo.” She looks at me and shivers, her hands shaking heavily and I can’t resist the need to hug her. She relaxes against my chest and draws small circles on my shirt with the tip of her finger. “I am scared of feeling those… things I feel for you. I am scared of what will happen to me if you decide that the chubby bakery owner is not your type of woman and I am fucking terrified of what will happen if you stay with me.”
Pressing a soft kiss on her forehead I tell her the truth. “Honestly? I am nervous as hell, because of what happens to me, to us. I had several discussions with my brother this week that I never thought were possible. I can’t tell you the things he told me, because this was some deep shit, let me just tell you that the things he told me were a surprise and they steered me in the right direction. This between us feels right and I have no intention to dump your sexy ass, no matter what you think and I am not going to sit here and watch you put yourself down, do you understand me? You may not be a size zero, but you are beautiful and I like you just as you are. I put those skanks in their place the day we met and I am going to do that with everybody that puts you down. That includes yourself. I won’t let you shame that hot body, do you understand me?” I need her to understand. To understand that she is not a quick fling. I am already so far gone that it would hurt like hell if she breaks it off now. Rico was right. I am not only on my way to falling for Valerie, I am already there.
Her eyes widen and then she whisper so quietly that I can barely understand her. “You are nervous? I never thought someone like you could be nervous. I mean, you are a mob man.”
Chuckling I decide to push my luck and press a kiss on her lips. “Oh cara, just because I am a made man doesn’t mean that I don’t get nervous especially if I am in situations I have never been before. And you are a special surprise. One I never expected.” She finally kisses me back and wraps her arms around my neck.
“Are you going to stay the night?” Her whisper on my neck is raspy and hot and my cock hardens painfully till I feel my zipper straining against my hot flesh.
“Yes and tomorrow is my day off, so don’t plan on getting out of the bed till noon. I hope you can keep the bakery closed.” She blushes fiercely and nods on my chest. I really want to take her to her bed now, but it is too early. I promised her a night at Sin and I am going to keep my promise. Carefully I push her back and press another kiss on her soft lips. “I am going to leave now, cara. I know you want to make yourself ready for the club and I have a last thing to do before I am free for tonight.” She looks stunned and I grin. “If you can’t decide what to wear, take the red dress. I liked it.”
She throws her head back and laughs. “As if I wasn’t aware of that tiny piece of information.”
Her eyes sparkle and she looks beautiful. “Take care and be safe, beautiful.” With that I press a kiss on her forehead, because I don’t trust myself in actually leaving her when I taste her lips again and then I leave.
***
As expected I find my brother in his office. I don’t bother greeting him and start speaking. “I don’t think I can find the bastard on my own, brother.” He raises one eyebrow and nods for me to continue. “It is as if he or she knows what I am going to do and hides even better. I know that money is missing, but I can’t fucking figure out when and where. I need someone from the outside to look at this, because I think I am blind to the obvious right now.”
“You suspect someone, Matteo. Who is it?” I should have known that Rico would cut through the bullshit I try to tell him.
“Yes, I suspect someone, but as long as I have no proof I really don’t want to tell you the name. Not because I don’t trust you, but because of what it means for the Family.” He nods slowly and then I feel his eyes resting on me again.
“Who from the outside do you trust enough to let them in?”
“Well, actually it is not a real outsider. I was thinking about asking Daniele for help. He is an accountant and he knows what we do. He just wanted out because of his family. I understand and respect that and I am going to do everything I can do to keep him out of the line of fire.” Daniele Luciano is the brother of my late father. He was in the mob till he found his wife a
nd they got a daughter. After that he begged his brother to let him go, because he couldn’t stomach the thought that his life would endanger his wife and daughter. Surprisingly our father let him go and cut the ties so completely that none of the actual members know that we have an uncle that lives here in New York. We kept contact and saw our uncle and his family a few times over the years. The last time we saw him was father’s funeral. He stayed in the back and never once greeted us, but the grief in his face is still clear in my mind.
“You think after all the things that happened he wouldn’t even let you in the house, brother. He hated the Family with all that he had.”
“Yep, I know. But he invited me to meet him in twenty minutes. We may have to hurry up.” His stunned face makes me smirk.
“Do I want to know how you made him do that?”
“Probably not.” I laugh and we both leave the office.
Thankfully our uncle doesn’t live far so we are able to walk the two blocks from the office to the small house our uncle owns. We ring the door bell and hear a strange grunting sound before a high squeak comes through the door. “What the fuck?” We both grab our guns but don’t pull them out. When the door opens we look at a young woman that carries a small pig in her arms.
“Yeah?”
“Are you Noemi?” I try to remember the face of Daniele’s daughter, but the pig keeps sniffing in my direction making happy grunty sounds.
The girl looks surprised for a moment. “Yes, I am Noemi Luciano. Who are you?”
Federico steps forward and Noemi takes a step back. Obviously she has good instincts and senses that he is the more dangerous person. “You have to excuse my brother, sweetheart, beautiful women make him forget his manners. I am Federico Luciano and this is Matteo, my younger brother. We are your cousins, I don’t think you remember us from the last time we met, but we are here to meet your father.”