“Do you know if they brought my bags? My clothes?” I whisper as I follow her into the bathroom.
While she starts the shower, she points to a French door on the opposite side of Leo’s ginormous bathtub. “I put everything away for you in there. Mr. Leo’s clothes are on the right and yours are on the left. You didn’t bring much, but I believe Miss Giulia, his cousin, will come tomorrow morning to take you shopping.” She gives me a sympathetic glance and pats my arm.
Shopping? I never turn down shopping, but if I accept then he’ll think I’m warming up to him. And I’m not. I’m pissed. For a few moments, I weigh the pros and cons of running up Moretti’s credit cards. He deserves it. But what if he expects me to be nice to him?
No, I’m too angry to be nice.
“Miss?” Sofia waves a hand in front of my face.
“Sorry. I’m tired and hungry.” I try to smile for her sake. I know she’s just doing her job.
“Mr. Leo will bring up food after your shower. He’s busy in the kitchen now.” She hands me a fluffy towel and heads back into the bedroom.
“In the kitchen? Is he cooking?” I raise an eyebrow, confused by this fresh information. He doesn’t strike me as a domestic goddess.
She laughs and pretends to fan herself with her hand. “No, he’s supervising. Mr. Leo always supervises.”
I watch her walk out the door and listen closely for the sound of the lock. Damn it. I’m trapped like a rat... in a luxurious bedroom, ten times nicer than my own. Things could be worse.
I could get used to this. I won’t. But I could.
Tiptoeing onto the marble, I gawk at the extravagance. Leo’s bathroom reminds me of Cesar’s Palace. Not that I’ve ever been to Vegas. Alex never let me go anywhere fun. But I’ve seen movies. It’s masculine and decadent beyond belief. I knew the Moretti’s were loaded, but until now, I wasn’t sure what that meant.
Why did he have to go this route? Surely, panties fly into his face wherever he goes. Such a strange man. Wanting what he can’t have. Ugh, what am I saying? He’s just like me. Wanting a man who didn’t want me.
I can’t think about that right now. I’ll just get angrier. Or cry. No, screw crying. No man is worth my tears.
While I strip, I rush into the closet to grab my pajamas, hoping they’re easy to find. I know he’s a clotheshorse. If this is his closet, it’ll be big and over-the-top, just like everything else in his life. Laughing to myself, I swing open the heavy door, cover my heart and gasp.
It’s my dream closet.
Leo Moretti owns my freaking dream closet. That big girl! It’s unbelievable. A testimony to his infamous vanity. Larger than his bathroom, the cedar-lined walls are stacked with three-piece haute couture Italian suits. Each one a masterpiece. Vertical racks display his extensive collection of perfectly polished Italian leather shoes. Everything is couture. Everything is in its proper place and coordinated by color.
I’m speechless. Fucking speechless.
To the left, I cringe at the sight of my clothes. They’re nice, but everything is off the rack and almost all purchased on sale. I shouldn’t be embarrassed. I made do with what I had, and I have more than most people. But now that they’re so close to Moretti’s European finery, I wonder if there’s any way to start a fire before Leo eyes my cheap-ass rags.
This is humiliating.
My father left me a rich woman, but I have no control over my own accounts. Alex keeps me on a tight allowance and makes sure my credit card limits stay low. If I want anything fancy, I need to save up for months. This is New York. Nothing’s cheap. He says it’s for my own good. Whatever.
That no-good twerp has the balls to lecture me on the importance of frugality, while he lavishes his long line of girlfriends with the best of everything. He swears those days are over now that he’s fallen for Yuri’s sister, but I have my doubts. Look at what he did to me. He has no sense of loyalty.
After years of putting up with his shit, he tries to force me into an arranged marriage, which I can only escape by marrying the biggest kingpin in Manhattan. I’m only slightly less screwed than I was yesterday.
Payback’s coming, big brother.
Trudging back into the bathroom, I peel off my bra, slide out of my panties and slink into the shower. It’s amazing. Out of this world. Jets of steam rise from below and wrap my body in warmth. A rain shower of hot water falls from above and gently caresses my skin, soothing my aching muscles. I needed this. I put up quite a fight earlier today. No one hurt me, but I got in plenty of jabs before a handkerchief full of chloroform knocked me out.
What a horrible day. I was so close. So close I could taste it. My hired car was on its way. I used every last airline mile to purchase that ticket to Paris and reserve a hotel for three days. There was no plan. I don’t know a soul in France. Alex seized my money, but I had five hundred dollars saved in a keepsake box hidden under my bed. It wasn’t much, but I knew someone would eventually find me and drag me home. It’s just... I’ve never been anywhere, and I wanted to feel free a little while longer.
But I shouldn’t have done it. Felix’s men could have tracked me down and dragged me home. And as much as Leo gets on my nerves, I’m not afraid of him. He’s a powerful man. Maybe, the most powerful one I’ve ever met. But he’s never frightened me. There’s something about the way he looks at me that makes me feel sacred.
Sacred to him, anyway.
Oddly, being here makes me feel safer than I’ve felt in years. Leo’s a pain in the ass who doesn’t know when to quit, but he’s not a bad person. I don’t want to marry him, but if must, it’s not the worst thing in the world. My brother being who he is has always limited my options. This is the world I was raised in. The only men I know are gangsters, thieves or killers. I never dreamed of marrying someone respectable.
Alejandro de Alba’s little sister isn’t the girl next door.
While I wash my hair and plan my revenge, I hear a door creak open. Oh, shit. Hopping around in a panic, I speed rinse, turn off the water and reach for my towel. It’s too steamy to see, but there’s no mistaking heavy footsteps on the marble floor.
“Alia, it’s me. I brought you food.” Fuck. It’s Leo.
I step out carefully, bundled in an over-sized towel, and use the frosted door as a shield. “Can you hand me the robe behind you?”
His eyes grow wide and follow the length of my body in less time than it takes to blink. While he mentally rips the towel from my body, I do a quick scan of my own. I’ve never seen him dressed like this. He’s lost the tie and dress shirt. A thin white tank top hugs his ripped torso and leaves his chiseled arms on full display. I hate how handsome he is. His dark eyes, full lips and olive skin all work together to form a flawless specimen of male beauty. Fucking stunning. But for the moment, nothing is more stunning than the enormous boner pointed in my direction.
Good lord, this is obscene.
Fearful that he wants to use it before I’m prepared, I point a shaky finger towards my pink robe. “Leo, my robe?”
He licks his lips and smiles. “This robe, doll?”
Seven
Leo
I’m so hard. There’s no way to hide it. These pants don’t have pleats. The girl of my dreams is standing before me and there’s only a towel between us. It’s not going away. No sense in pretending it’s not there.
“I’m sorry. You’re fucking breathtaking. My body never cooperates when you’re near.” I hand over her robe and turn on my heels. “I’m not sure what you’re craving, so I brought a little of everything. Come out when you’re ready.”
While the boys finish setting up the table and chairs, I spread a tablecloth and help set the plates I’ve brought from the kitchen. I know she’s mad. I’m not trying to buy her forgiveness with food. But she needs to eat and if I can make her feel a little better about being here, I need to try.
“Oh, my Lord, how much do you think I can eat?” She strolls into the room wearing a thin blouse and pajama shor
ts. Undoubtedly deliberate. While she walks, she shakes a hand towel over her long dark hair, soaking up the excess moisture and bouncing her braless boobs in everyone’s face. Enzo and Marco’s eyes flare with dubious curiosity and I see red. Before she comes any closer, I give them a stern look reminding them to avert their eyes and hustle both out of the room.
“I won’t force feed you, but try a little of everything.” I hold out her chair and she slides in, giving me the perfect view of her taut inner thighs.
This hard-on will never go down.
“I’ll eat, but don’t think I’m not royally pissed.” She chews her bottom lip and leans forward to sniff out the food. “You must tell me what I’m trying. I love Italian food, but nothing here looks familiar.”
I smile and correct her. “This is Sicilian.”
She waves her hand to dismiss me. “Yes, of course, Don Moretti. Please, continue.”
I nod and hand her an appetizer. “This is arancini. It’s deep-fried risotto. You’ll find it everywhere in Sicily. It’s one of the few things I know how to make.”
A tiny smile forms on her plump lips as she pokes her fork into it. “You made this for me?”
I shake my head. “No. Not this time. But I will one day. I didn’t want to take any chances the first time I feed you.”
She narrows her eyes and lays a napkin on her lap. “This isn’t right, Leo. You know it’s not. How can we build from here? I turn you down for a third date, say no to your marriage proposal and you kidnap me!” She pouts as she picks through her food.
I cringe and take a sip of wine. “That’s not exactly what happened, but I won’t argue with you. You know how I feel about you. I’d never hurt you. We need to marry. You’re not safe until Felix knows we’re legally married. But I won’t force myself on you. Please, don’t concern yourself with that. I’m not waiting to pounce. This is your home now. No one will ever hurt you here if I can help it.”
She sighs and releases a shuddered breath. “I know you wouldn’t. Thank you.” She nods with relief and shoves a huge bite of risotto in her mouth. It’s so big, crumbs trickle down her blouse and land on one of the two tight nipples that have been taunting me since she sat down. My mouth floods. My taste buds sting as I gnash my teeth and watch her full lips cover my grandmother’s silver fork. If she keeps this up, I’ll have to excuse myself to give my cock a little relief.
“I’m genuinely sorry it came to this, but you really didn’t expect to choose your own husband, did you? Your grandparents arranged your parents. Mine, too. That’s the way it is with our families. The only good thing about my father’s passing is he didn’t live long enough to match me with a Genovese or Lucchese. Why did Felix ask for you? Have you met?” I pour her a glass of Chardonnay, her favorite, and gaze into a frightened pair of eyes.
“Felix?” Panic fills her voice.
“Igor and Yuri told me about your brother’s intentions last night. That’s one reason I had to move fast.”
She makes the sign of the cross and holds her hand over her mouth. Too choked up to speak, her hand trembles as she reaches for her wine.
“Do you know him?” Her brows knit as I top off her wine.
I shake my head and take a sip. “He keeps a low profile, but I’ve heard of him. He’s angered the five families, but he hasn’t messed with us. And I doubt he will. My men are everywhere, baby. They’re in the streets, in New York, New Jersey, Boston, Chicago, in City Hall and in the Senate. I promise, I can protect you.”
He is worrisome. A maniac and a legendary sicario, who recently became the drug lord of his own cartel. He’s ruthless. Vicious. I couldn’t believe Alex would consider someone so dangerous for his flesh and blood. Ayala spends most of his time in Mexico. He’d never know if Felix was treating her right. He’d never know if the bastard grew bored and had her killed.
Snapping out of her daze, she shakes her head, stops for a moment then nods. “I met him when I was younger. He worked for a drug lord who held me captive.”
The world sputters to a stop as I process what she’s just revealed. Then my brain explodes. “Who the fuck held you captive? When was this? Where the fuck was your brother?” Someone kidnapped my angel?
Before this, I mean. No, this doesn’t count. We had an agreement.
Gripped with rage, I clench the tablecloth underneath by fingers and nearly bring the dishes crashing down to the floor.
She blinks away tears. Real ones this time. “I was a kid, Leo. Ten years old. Alex was a teenager. A man named Alberto Romo arranged my kidnapping and ransomed me for ten million. After he got his money, he tried to kill me. He planned to bury me alive, but Felix stopped him. He tortured him in front of me and killed his men. There were so many, I stopped counting after the fifteen. When Romo was almost dead, Felix made me stick a knife in his heart. He said it would strengthen me. He said Romo couldn’t haunt me if I looked him in the eye and finished him off. But it didn’t work. The nightmares never go away.”
What a fucking lunatic.
She stops to think before she continues. “He never hurt me. He delivered me to my parents and then disappeared to Columbia for years. Alex doesn’t know the entire story, but he knows I’m terrified of him. I can’t believe he’d even consider it.” Her chest heaves as she searches my eyes for an answer.
My heart sinks. My poor doll has nightmares of being kidnapped and I had her hauled out of her house by force. I wish I’d known before today. “I’m sorry if I scared you. I didn’t mean to bring up such horrible memories.”
She shrugs and slinks in her chair. “You didn’t. Those memories are rarely far from my mind.”
I reach for her hand and to my surprise, she lets me take it. “Do you want to be alone? I can leave while you eat.”
She shakes her head and lifts her eyes to meet mine. “No, Moretti. I want you to tell me what smells so good.”
I chuckle, bring her hand to my lips and kiss her knuckles. “Smells good? That must be me, doll.”
Eight
Leo
She agreed to let me sleep in my own bed. I didn’t ask permission. It was my intention all along, but late last night after we ate and played poker, she gave me her blessing to sleep in my bed. I’m indulging her because I feel like shit, but when she laid out a set of rules, I immediately regretted it. Alia has enough power over me. I don’t need to add to it.
With her hands on her hips and a stern expression, she warned me to keep to my side, which is the side she’s sleeping in because she insists on sleeping on the side closest to the restroom. For the sake of making her feel safe and shutting her up, I didn’t sleep nude, even if I stayed under the covers and clear on the other side of the California king-size bed.
She’s a brat. I know this and I love her feisty side. But it’s hard to tell when she’s clueless, teasing, or just being vindictive.
By 2:00am, she’d rolled to my side. It’s a long roll, but she made it look perfectly innocent. By the sound of her restless moans, I’m almost certain it was. Of course, I didn’t move her. My will power falters whenever she’s near and it felt good to have her seek me out.
It might have felt better if she was conscious, but I welcome these baby steps, nonetheless.
At 3:00am, she cuddled up on her side and nuzzled into my chest. The familiar scent of her hair, white tea and orange, coupled with the warmth of her breasts nestled against my ribs, kept me hard and wide awake for over an hour. It’s my fault, I could have nudged her away, but I didn’t want to wake her up.
By 4:00am, I nodded off while I basked in the sweet scent of my beautiful girl.
And now, an hour later, she’s gone.
“Alia?” I stir awake from the sudden lack of warmth. Her hot little body was nuzzled so tight, the sheen of sweat we created now leaves me cold.
The extra blanket is missing. The restroom door is wide open, and the windows are sealed tight. I locked our bedroom door earlier in the evening and the key is still in my nightstand.
She couldn’t have escaped.
“Alia?” I pad into the bathroom and peek into the shower. Nothing.
“Alia?” I whisper, but stammer as panic rises. Where the hell is she?
“Alia?” I softly open the closet door, the only place left to look, and find her. Curled into a tight fetal position, she’s swaddled in a down comforter in the corner of the closet.
I creep closer, curious and concerned, but as soon as she hears my footsteps, she jolts up and scrambles like bug into the lower rack of clothes.
My mouth falls open. “Baby?”
“Sorry. I had a nightmare and it felt safer in here.” She wipes the sleep from her eyes.
Stunned by her vulnerability, I pull her into my arms and for once she doesn’t fight me. “You’re safe here, doll. Tomorrow you’ll be Alia Moretti. No one will ever fuck with you again… except me.” I kiss the top of her head.
She chuckles softly. “Thank you for bringing me here. For saving me. I can’t marry him. I can’t.” She gazes up with tear-stained cheeks and sighs.
“Are you marrying me?” I brush the hair off her face and bring her lips to mine. It’s nothing. Just a chaste kiss to let her know I can take my time. She doesn’t pull away.
“I guess so.” She smiles.
“Like you have a choice.” I lift her off the floor and carry her back to bed.
Nine
Alia
He wants to ask me more. I know he does. It was my first night in a new place and almost morning when I crept away. That’s huge for me. I know it looks strange. It probably caught him off guard. But he’s giving me space and I appreciate it. It’s no big deal. I’m not crazy. Not really. My therapist says I’m a work in progress.
Love Unleashed Page 3