Page 56 of The Don

“Like men who beat their wives.”

“Si.” She nods. “When he killed my husband, I had nowhere to go, so he brought me here. Gave me a home, and a job.” She gently pets my hand before pulling back. “He looks after me, and I look after him. No questions asked, Miss Eliza.”

Ruben has unconditional support from Maria. And if he has such dedicated support from her, then I can only imagine how many other people’s loyalty he has too. Ruben Sacco rules with an iron fist, yet when it comes to abusing women, he won’t allow it. Again, wow.

“Thank you for explaining why you look after him.”

“I’ll be here until my last breath.” There’s not one iota of doubt in my mind that Maria will remain in loyal servitude to Ruben. She takes a sharp breath, stands, and rolls her shoulders. “Breakfast?”

Food is Maria’s love language. It’s the way she shows her appreciation and love for people. “That would be wonderful, thank you.”

“Storm!” I hear Dante calling. “Venire.” Storm leaves the kitchen to find Dante who’ll take him back to the guardhouse to feed him.

“There you are,” Ruben says when he enters the kitchen. He walks over to me and places a kiss to my temple. “Maria,” he acknowledges with a curt nod.

“Would you like food, Signore?”

“No, just a coffee.”

“Si.” She begins to prepare Ruben’s coffee and he sits where she was, next to me.

Ruben looks between Maria and me, and lifts his hand to rub circles on my back. His touch is electric and warm, making my stomach jump with excitement. I like knowing his hands can be rough with everyone else, but are gentle with me. It’s alluring and comforting. “Everything okay?”

Maria turns to look at me and smiles sweetly. “Absolutely,” I reply.

“What are you going to do today?” He moves his hand from my back, to my thigh and gently squeezes. He likes touching me, and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I enjoy it too.

I’m momentarily lost in his warmth, but when he squeezes his hand on my leg, I’m brought back to the present. “I have no plans.” I chuckle at how absurd that is. “I should think about what I want to do with my life, I guess.”

“What do you want to do?”

Heal. Move on from him. Find a way to be okay with myself. “I don’t know.”

“You’re good with Storm, perhaps you can do something involving dogs.”

“Hmmm.” I narrow my brows as I look to the half-empty glass of water. “Maybe.”

“Whatever you want to do, I’ll pay for the schooling you need.” Maria slides his coffee in front of him. “I’ll take it in the office, Maria.”

She smiles as she lifts it off the counter and leaves. Ruben stands and presses a kiss to my lips. As he exits the kitchen, I stand and follow him. He looks over his shoulder and waits until I’m in the office before he closes the door. “What if I want to be a vet?” I ask, truly intrigued by his offer.

“I’ll send you to college. But one close to here so you can return home at the end of the day. My men will be with you, of course.” I’m not even going to argue the point about having security. A man like Ruben is finite when it comes to commands.

“I was studying childcare before...” I pause and chew on the inside of my cheek. “...him.”

“If that’s what you want,” Ruben effortlessly offers.

“What if I want to be a dancer?”

“Julliard’s too far, but find a studio and I’ll pay for lessons.” He sits at his desk and picks his coffee up before turning the computer on.

He’s way too serious at the moment, as am I. I need to lighten the mood and get him out of my head. “Would you buy me a pole?”

Ruben nearly spits his coffee out, making me smile. “A fucking pole? As in pole dancing?” This is the first time there’s been a kink in Ruben’s tough exterior.

“Yeah, pole dancing.”

“You want to learn pole dancing?” His brows are high, and his usually controlled voice has elevated in pitch.

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