Page 37 of Mafia Don's Twisted Proposal
“Isn’t that a little extreme?”
“You were listening when I explained the whole ‘mafia war’ thing, right?”
I pull my hand free to smack his arm. “Cut me some slack here. This is all new territory for me.”
“You’ll meet my family too.”
“Tell me about them.”
His entire demeanor shifts, going soft around the edges. “You know about my sons. Dario’s married with newborn twins. My brother got married last year, and they have a little boy. My sister has a grown son, Alessio, who works for me.”
“You know you practically glow when you talk about your family, right?”
Lorenzo ducks his head, suddenly very interested in his food. I’m pretty sure I just made the big bad mafia don blush, and the thought makes me ridiculously giddy.
“When’s this party happening?” I ask after a few minutes.
“End of the week. You can invite friends and family too. It’s a celebration for both of us.”
Friends, yes. Family...that’s more complicated.
“I don’t know about my family,” I admit. “My sisters both married their high school sweethearts, guys who’ve been part of the family for years. A sudden marriage to someone I’ve never even mentioned is going to be a shock. Plus, there’s the age difference. My dad’s barely older than you.”
The words come tumbling out faster than I can stop them. “I mean, they’re not judgmental people, exactly. I just can’t predict how they’ll react. There’s always been this disconnect between me and them, and it’s only gotten worse as we’ve all gotten older and gone in different directions.”
I clamp my mouth shut before I can babble any more. God, this is embarrassing.
“Baby, you don’t need to explain yourself,” Lorenzo says gently. “We can wait to tell your family. What about friends?”
Relief floods through me. “Yeah, I can invite a couple people. My friend, Jill, will be back from her honeymoon by then.”
“Perfect. I’ll handle all the arrangements. You just have to show up and be yourself.”
I nearly swoon at that, but there’s a little voice in the back of my head asking questions I don’t want to answer.
If I look past the whole mafia thing—which, granted, is a pretty big thing to look past—Lorenzo is basically perfect. He’s confident, thoughtful, sexy as hell, and apparently loaded. He’s a catch.
So why did he marry a complete stranger?
The truth is there, lurking just beneath the surface. I can feel it like a splinter under my skin.
Do I really want to dig it out?
14
LORENZO
I never thoughtI was the type for married life, but apparently I’m not too old to learn new things about myself.
It’s been five days since Mia was dragged back here cursing like a sailor and fighting like a wildcat. Turns out having a wife suits me perfectly.
She hasn’t tried to run again. Every night, she’s in my bed, and I worship her body until we fall asleep tangled together like we’ve been doing this for years instead of days.
I can feel myself getting more attached to her with each passing hour. The obsession that started forming before we even officially met is growing into something I can barely control. It’s a constant, gnawing need to know where she is, what she’s doing, if she’s safe.
But I still have responsibilities. Can’t exactly take a honeymoon while I’m in the middle of a war with the Bratva. So I don’t see much of her during the day, but I’ve got guards watching over her. The security around the house is still locked down tight, even though there haven’t been any more surprise deliveries.
I also have cameras.
