Page 21 of Mafia Men Need Love Too
Was this what being married to him would be like? His way or the highway? If so, she had bigger problems than she thought.
River whistled for Feather, who grudgingly hopped over to her shoulder. She turned to head back to her room, but Nico stopped her by grabbing her hand. “Come,” he said. “I have something to show you.”
There was that high-handed crap again. “I’m not even wearing shoes.”
She let out a squeal when he scooped her up like she was weightless. “That won’t be a problem,” he murmured with a smirk.
Stupid, high-handed, muscle-y, overly confident, gratuitously attractive jerk.
He carried her out of the kitchen, down a long hallway, and out across the garden. The fact that he wasn’t out of breath or struggling to hold her and Feather wasn’t at all sexy.
That was her story, and she was sticking to it.
But she quit pouting when they crossed through the garden gate and entered an outbuilding that looked like…no, it couldn’t be.
The sprawling, steel-and glass doomed structure wasn’t something River had only ever seen in zoos. “Is this…”
“An aviary,” he said, unlocking the door, setting her on her feet. “It hasn’t been used in years. But I had it cleaned out and outfitted last night.”
Built for both comfort and spectacle, the aviary’s generous proportions made it feel like it belonged in a public botanical garden. Outfitting it in a single night must’ve been a huge undertaking.
“You did all this last night?”
“Well, not me personally.”
Because God forbid someone think he was a nice guy.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “A guy will be out tomorrow to get the fountain running again, and the landscapers will fill the planters the day after that. But that tree in the center is healthy, so it’ll stay right where it is.”
She should hope so. That was a gorgeous redbud tree that would fill with glorious purple blooms in the spring.
Feather wasted no time flying over to the perch nearest the entrance. The excited squawk she let out squeezed River’s heart. “She’s never had anything like this. She’s always been limited to my apartment.”
Nico glanced down at her, eyes serious. “Everyone deserves a place to spread their wings.”
He wasn’t just talking about Feather. She knew that. This place, this mansion, could be a place for her to spread her wings as well. He’d give her that freedom.
If she was willing to take it.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
His gaze dropped to her lips. “Of course, fiorellino.”
And just like that, the idea of escaping her forced marriage didn’t seem like the right thing to do anymore.
Chapter 12
Finishing breakfast lost its allure after River went back upstairs to get dressed.
Pity about the whole getting dressed thing. He rather liked her half-naked in his kitchen.
OK, that was an understatement. He fucking loved her half naked in his kitchen. But since he was quite sure she wasn’t ready to hear about just how much he loved it, he downplayed his interest and pretended he didn’t have a giant hard-on while carrying her out to the aviary.
And for whoever might be interested: carrying someone while sporting a hard-on was not easy.
He was dumping the remnants of his coffee down the sink when Van came in, looking like he hadn’t slept in a decade. “You look tired, my friend.”
Van shoved a hand through his already messy hair, leaned a hip on the kitchen counter, and crossed his arms over his chest. “The Russians keep shitty hours.”
