Hidden Away (Mafioso Series Book 2)

by Serena Light

  "Good morning, madam," Alessio greeted with a curt nod, Serafina giving him a once-over before smirking.

  "Morning,"

  "Ready to leave?"

  "Breakfast first,"

  Nodding, he walked over to the kitchen, Serafina close behind. As he made her something, she had him jump in surprise when she slapped his ass. Whirling around, he stared at her with wide eyes before peeking towards the door where two other men stood to escort her to the airport.

  "Don't do that," He hissed as she giggled in response. "People can't know about you and me. And we agreed we would stop this once we're back in Italy."

  "We're still in Brazil," She pointed out, pouring herself a mug of coffee. "And besides, I can't control myself with you in this suit, cupcake."

  "Shh..."

  "Okay, okay."

  Settling down, she ate the breakfast he had made for her while constantly eyeing him, even when he was talking to her brother informing him that they would be leaving soon. Alessio tried his hardest to keep his voice from shaking when Serafina wrapped her arms around his waist, unbuckling his belt and sliding her hands into his slacks as he bit his lips from making any sound.

  "Here you go, sir," He spoke in a level voice, turning around and pressing the phone to her ear as he took a step back, fixing his slacks and glaring at her for the erection she had caused.

  "Hey, Salvi," Serafina grinned into the phone and blowing a kiss to Alessio, watching him walk towards the door, returning a moment later as she was smirking at him, surprised to see him return that smirk. "I'm doing well, what about you?"

  Alessio pushed her onto the sofa, straddling her waist as she looked up at him with wide eyes, keeping her voice even as he began assaulting her neck with kisses, his hands sliding beneath her shirt as she tried to keep from gasping.

  "We-we'll be heading out soon," She assured her brother, throwing her head back as he grinned against her neck, his fingers caressing her skin and having her squirm. "As a matter of fact, we're heading out just now, Alessio has to load the bags-"

  "They're in the car," He nibbled on her earlobe as she gritted her teeth.

  "Actually, he just loaded them in the car, so we'll leave once I'm done with my coffee,"

  "Alright, see you in 11 hours then," Salvatore spoke on the line.

  "Yes, definitely!" She exclaimed a bit too enthusiastically before ending the call, about to push Alessio, but him having anticipated such a move, pinned her against the sofa.

  "Oh, no," He chuckled at her. "We will take care of the trouble you just caused and then we'll leave."

  "And what of the two men outside?"

  "Went for a little drive, baby girl," He grinned before capturing her lips with his.

  "We're ready to leave, madam," The man at the door knocked as Alessio and Serafina were fixing their appearances.

  Serafina was just about to walk towards the door when Alessio grabbed her hand pulling her back to place a breathtaking kiss on her lips.

  "A memoir of our time here," He murmured against her lips as she groaned, pulling at his suit lapels, wanting him closer.

  "Alessio," She moaned as he pulled away, running a hand through his hair to fix them before clearing his throat, bowing his head to her and gesturing to the door.

  Biting her lip, she grabbed her bag before making her way out the door, settling in the back as Alessio settled behind the wheel, one man sitting with them with the other driving behind them. The drive went on in silence before they arrived at the hanger. Loading the bags, Serafina settled in her seat as Alessio sat opposite her, the plane taking off.

  It had been a good hour in the air before either one of them spoke up.

  "So..." Serafina trailed, Alessio, tearing his gaze away from the window. "Back to square 1,"

  "I believe so." He nodded, crossing his ankle over his knee. "Because we honestly can't resume our little affair in Italy,"

  "Do international waters count?" She inquired innocently as Alessio couldn't help the smirk across his lips. "Just curious,"

  "International waters don't count," Alessio gave it some thought.

  "So...we could resume this little fling until we're back?"

  "Yes,"

  "Okay, so how about this." Serafina leaned forward in her seat, placing a hand on his knee. "In a bit, I'm going to retire to the bedroom in the back, and you join me after 10 minutes."

  "Why not 5?"

  "Because a girl needs time to prepare to seduce her bodyguard," She rolled her eyes in exasperation as Alessio chuckled at her. "Do we have a deal?"

  "10 minutes?"

  "Yes,"

  "Alright," He smirked as she sat back in her seat.

  The air hostess came and put down cups of coffee before the two as they drank in silence, both of them anticipating for her to leave. Halfway through his mug, she stood from her place and sauntered to the back of the plane, slipping into the bedroom before closing the door behind her. Alessio looked at his watch, slowly sipping his coffee as he waited for the time to be up. Just as the second's dial hit 12, he was up from his seat, accidentally spilling the coffee as he cursed under his breath before tossing a bunch of tissues on the spilled beverage and making his way to the bedroom door, looking back to ensure that no one was watching before slipping inside.

  "Boy, do you have quite the libido." He heaved through his pants once he rolled off Serafina.

  "What? Tired, old man?" She teased through her heavy breaths.

  "Fuck, I'm exhausted." He chuckled between his pants. "6 times in half a day? No easy feat!"

  "Oh! The first was just flirting, the second was oral."

  "Fuck woman, what the hell are you on?"

  Serafina laughed at his words, nuzzling into his chest as he chuckled at her.

  "I thought at 30, a man was still active, but at the rate, you're going, I might have to find a replacement sooner than expected."

  "You 24-year-olds' have the same drive as frustrated teenagers, I swear."

  "Aww, don't be sad, baby," Serafina cooed, placing a chaste kiss on his lips. "Your baby girl will teach you,"

  "My baby girl will do no such thing," Alessio turned them over, pinning her beneath him. "My baby girl is my princess and she'll be treated like royalty,"

  "And your employer?"

  "Can go fuck himself," He smirked cockily as she laughed. "Now since you think so lowly of me, I have to punish you to the point where you can't walk straight."

  Serafina awoke due to Alessio moving out from beneath her. Groggily she looked up, seeing him getting dressed as she yawned.

  "Where are you going?"

  "I've been in here for quite some time; the aircrew would be getting suspicious."

  "Stay a bit longer,"

  "Can't, baby girl." He sighed, crouching at the edge of the bed as he stroked her tousled hair with gentle eyes. "Believe me, I want to, but I can't," He whispered in an almost pained voice, Serafina blinking up at him.

  "Are you in love with me?" She asked quietly as he stood up to pull on his shirt, freezing in place and glancing over his shoulder. "Because you know I can't return that love-"

  "-I'm not in love with you," Alessio halted her, his heart squeezing in his chest with his mind screaming 'liar' as he gave her a cocky grin. "Besides, this is purely carnal."

  Serafina looked at him button up his shirt, and tuck it in before pulling on the blazer. Fixing his hair, he gave her a two-finger salute before slipping out of the room, momentarily standing with his hand against the handle as he let out a shaky breath.

  "Fuck, Romano, you've been hiding your feelings for the past 2 years, nothing has changed." He shook his head at himself and stepped away from the door, retaking his seat.

  The truth was, Alessio could remember the exact moment he realized he was in love with Serafina Regnante. She had been 22 and him 28, as a matter of fact, it was hardly a week after her birthday. Serafina had been living with Paolo and he had gone to their bedroom to see if she needed anything b
efore he would be heading off. Just as he was about to knock on the door before he heard her singing, opening it, he stood in the doorway, mesmerized by how her pale yellow dress flowed with her movements as she was dancing and sang along to the song she had playing on her headphones. He couldn't begin to comprehend how gorgeous she looked – so utterly lost in the music as her black hair swayed and her eyes were closed, an ecstatic smile sported on her lips, making her look absolutely euphoric. Alessio had stood in the doorway with a goofy grin on his face as he watched her dance to the music he couldn't hear. When her eyes eventually opened, she smiled at the sight of him and pulled him inside, intertwining their hands and forcing him to dance with her as he couldn't contain the laugh that burst forth.

  And when he was laughing, it hit him; he was in love with Serafina Marie Regnante.

  When they arrived back in Italy, they both maintained their usual professional relation, Alessio watching how every one of her family members greeted her with hugs and smiles, dragging her inside while he went to meet up with the rest of the guards, him joking and laughing with them as Serafina told her family about her process of recovery – leaving out her fling with Alessio.

  At dinner time, he was one of the guards sitting in the kitchen, having dinner when he overheard Serafina.

  "I've been thinking," She started, redirecting everyone's attention to her. "Throughout my life, I've depended on one man or another and I'm tired of being a dependent person, I want to be independent."

  "Okay, yeah, that's a thought," Her father nodded, taking another bite of the mashed potatoes.

  "And it occurred to me that I've never actually lived on my own or had a professional career. So I decided that I want to buy my own house and reopen my gallery." Serafina grinned as her mother and father returned the smile.

  "And how do you plan to pay for the house you want to live in?" Her twin brother asked the question.

  "Oh, my dear, Salvi." She grinned, standing up and going to him, hugging his head. "Remember that my gallery was very successful when it was operational-"

  "-Thanks to me," He scoffed.

  "So I managed to squeeze quite a bit from my customers, and put it all in a savings account," Serafina resumed like he hadn't spoken. "And it's enough money to buy a fully furnished house." She finished with a grin, about to walk back to her seat, but stopped when her brother grabbed hold of her wrist and stood from his place.

  "What?" She asked in confusion, leaning back when he neared her, taking a whiff.

  "You smell like a man," Her brother noted.

  Alessio choked on his water in the kitchen, having heard the words.

  "Well duh," Serafina retorted. "I hugged you, and dad, and Marco, and Arsenio. You all are men."

  "It's none of our perfumes, I would have recognized it."

  "Goodness, Salvatore." She laughed. "90% of my day is spent with men, of course, I smell like a man."

  "Hmm..." Her brother pondered, looking skeptical of her explanation as she broke away from him, going back to her seat.

  "Don't hurt that head of yours, Salvi," She teased. "No need to overthink things that have simple explanations."

  Alessio heaved a relieved breath in the kitchen, thanking God that she was able to handle it with ease, whereas he would have been a stuttering mess if he was placed in Serafina's situation.

  In the next couple of days, she would take him to various real estates to buy a house and reopened her photo gallery, having it all renovated and cleaned and her cameras taken out. After a week of searching, she fell in love with a beautiful white suburban home in a wonderful little neighborhood – which even her brother approved of. The day she bought the house and her gallery was completed; she ordered takeaways and ate with Alessio on the hood of the car on the top of a hill.

  "I'm so happy," Serafina sighed, sitting on the bumper with a grin. "I finally get to be independent."

  "Congratulations," Alessio chuckled, putting away the containers and dusting his hands. "You deserve this happiness."

  "Thank you,"

  A silence fell over the two, both of them looking out at the setting sun; Alessio leaning against the car as Serafina sat on top of the bumper.

  "Ready to go?" He asked when she slid off the surface.

  "No, actually," She trailed, coming to stand before him as she wrapped her arms around his waist, Alessio not making the effort of taking his hands out of his pockets.

  "We agreed, Serafina," He reminded her sternly.

  "I know," Serafina nodded, looking at the buttons of his shirt. "But...I think I deserve a kiss after all this."

  Sighing, he placed a kiss on the top of her head.

  "A proper kiss, cupcake,"

  "We agreed to stop when we were back in Italy, someone might see us-"

  "-There is no one here," She insisted. "No one will see. It's just you and me."

  "Serafina," Alessio sighed, cupping her face into his hand as he rubbed his thumb over her cheekbone, lost in thought. "Just this one exception,"

  "Just this one," She agreed.

  Exhaling through his nose, Alessio leaned down as Serafina stood on her tiptoes, meeting him halfway as the contact of their lips had Alessio's heart feel at ease. The kiss was slow and gentle, both of them savoring it in the setting sun.

  Chapter XVII: Tainted Memories

  "Just this one exception, huh," Serafina moaned into his mouth breathlessly, groaning when he tugged at her hair.

  "You're the one who called me," Alessio grunted in effort, sweat beading their foreheads as the soft sound of skin slapping against skin infiltrated the room.

  "A girl..." She gasped at the sensation, throwing her head back with a groan. "Has needs,"

  "Or you just like me fucking you,"

  "Haha,"

  "Fuck, I'm close," Alessio groaned into her neck, Serafina feeling her own release drawing near with the knot tightening in her stomach.

  Picking up his pace, he braced himself against the headboard, both of them struggling to get enough air as they grunted and moaned in their haze of pleasure. Alessio released with a growl as Serafina clutched onto him, her release drawing near as she came undone with the cry of a name.

  "Paolo," She moaned, clutching at his back as she came undone beneath him, writhing and panting.

  Alessio collapsed on top of her, worn from their actions as his heart dropped in his stomach and he could taste the bile rising in his throat. Not even having regained his breathing, he got off her, disposing the condom before hastily pulling on his clothes.

  "Where are you going?" She laughed breathlessly seeing him struggling with the shirt. "If you're going to treat this like a one night stand at least allow me the chance to fall asleep before you run off into the dark." She teased, pulling the sheets to her chest, being greeted by silence.

  "Geez, I feel like a booty call."

  "Oh no," He laughed humourlessly finally, buttoning his jeans into place. "I'm the booty call here, Ms. Regnante."

  "Ms. Regnante?" Serafina chuckled in confusion, pulling on her discarded sleeping shirt and stepping out of bed. "What's with that?"

  "Just the facts, madam,"

  "Alessio?" She spoke in confusion, making her way towards him as he was searching for his shoes. "What's wrong?"

  Serafina placed a hand against his shoulder, taken aback when he shrugged her off, struggling to put his shoes on.

  "Nothing other than the fact that my name isn't Paolo," Alessio stood from his hunched position, walking over to her side table and grabbing his things, making his way towards the door.

  "Alessio-"

  "-Have a good night, ma'am." He spoke monotonously and closed the door behind him.

  Walking down the stairs, he slipped out the kitchen door, jumping over the backyard fence and into the neighbor's yard before walking towards the gate, arriving at the yard of the house parallel. Sneaking across the darkness, he stepped onto the sidewalk, unlocking his BMW before settling behind the wheel, not even giving it a
moment's thought before driving away.

  It wasn't until he arrived at his bachelor pad did he crumble. With his hands against his hips, he had trouble catching his breath, feeling like he wasn't getting enough air, his lungs straining as he rubbed at his chest, trying to ease the pain. Shaking his head at himself, he poured himself a glass of scotch and downing it in one go. Pouring himself another, he made his way towards his sofa, collapsing against the cushions before turning on some rock music, the sound reverberating throughout his home as he downed the glass once more, pouring another glass and downing that just as fast.

  "She was never yours, to begin with, Romano," He spoke to the empty room, raising his refilled glass. "She never will be," Alessio grumbled in distaste and downed the contents once more, groaning at the burning before putting the glass away, already feeling light-headed and tipsy.

  Struggling to his feet, he stumbled across the floor, turning off the music and making his way into his bedroom. Not even bothering to turn on the lights, he stripped out of his clothes before collapsing on his bed, falling asleep even before his head hit the pillow.

  He was awoken by the sound of his phone. Groaning, he pulled himself up, picking up the phone and calling into it.

  "Hello?" His voice was husky and groggy, a clear indication of him having just woken up.

  "Rough night?" The voice on the other end asked as Alessio groaned in response. "I'll take it as a yes,"

  "What do you want, Filippo?"

  "Well, my shift ended about an hour ago, and I'm waiting for you to get here, so-"

  "-Fuck!" Alessio exclaimed, jumping out of bed and towards his washroom. "I'll be there in 15 minutes."

  "We're at the estate."

  "Make that 25."

  "Alright," Filippo chuckled before hanging up.

  Taking a quick shower, Alessio hastily put on his suit, struggling with the tie and his shoes before running towards his car. Driving down the road, he had to swerve a couple times out of traffic before he finally pulled up in the driveway of the estate, feeling the urge to throw up but keeping it down as he rushed inside, his path a little wayward before finally sliding into the dining room just after Salvatore and Serafina had walked in.