Page 5 of Mafia Lion's Plus Size Obsession

Beautiful.

When he says it, I actually believe he means it, too.

I follow him to the guest house, which is no small little bungalow, but a two-bedroom room villa with a kitchen. Bigger than most apartments. He takes the tray from me and sets it on the coffee table. He takes a moment to look over the various cookies and snacks I’ve brought and nods. “A good Moscato will pair nicely.”

I smile. “Wow, you fight fires and know your wine. Amazing.”

“Of course, I know my wine, I’m Italian.”

He goes to the kitchen and comes back with a bottle that is something I could get at the local grocery store. I watch him pour, a small smile on my lips.

He notices. “What?”

“I just, well, I guess I didn’t expect you to come out with the average store-bought thing. I remember how your dad always bragged about having the best of the best.”

He sits down by me on the couch, and I feel like a silly high schooler having him this close to me. “You know, I earn my own money now and I buy my own things. I don’t like to take from my father.”

I nod. “I understand. My dad won’t let me choose what salad dressing to use.”

He shakes his head. “Well, that’s why I’m in California. It’s far enough away that I don’t have to feel like every aspect of my life is under his control. And being a firefighter gives me a feeling of giving back.”

The mood feels like it’s becoming too heavy, that happens when your parents are mobsters, so I jump on talk of his life in California. “So, tell me what it’s like to be a firefighter?”

He instantly brightens. “It’s great, Izzy, really great. There’s a real sense of family with the guys I work with at the station house.” He takes a cookie and takes a bite. His face registers genuine shock. “Izzy, you made these? They’re incredible. You should have your own shop.”

First, I’m beautiful, and now this? Holy crap! “I don’t think my dad would like that but thank you for the compliment.”

“No, no, thank you.” He takes another bite.

I sip the win and rack my brain for something relevant to say. ‘Do the guys at the station know you have this big of a sweet tooth? They may not like that.”

He laughs and takes another cookie. “They’re really a big bunch of toddlers so they understand.”

“It sounds really great out there with them.”

He brushes crumbs from his shirt and nods. “Yeah, they are. It’s funny, in a lot of ways it’s like being in the…” He gives a small smile. “This thing our parents do. I mean, there’s a real sense of brotherhood and loyalty like with the family out here, but it’s not all self-interested. Those guys really care about their job being to help others.”

“Are you going to stay out there, Vittorio?” A small sliver of worry hits me that maybe, just maybe, I would never see him again after this trip.

And now, he looks me right in the eyes and I worry that I’ve made some bad faux pas. “I want out of this, Izzy. This… you know what. I want out for more than just now. Forever. I likeworking for a living at a legitimate job. I like being a firefighter. I like helping people. If I come back, it will only be for legitimate work and a legitimate life.”

I sense how serious he is about it and my heart breaks for him because I know how hard it can be to make your own way in this world of ours. I can also tell he’s not so sure about that last part. He wants to come back only for a legitimate life but he’s not sure he can do it. He has more control over his life than I have over mine but that doesn’t mean complete control.

He has a little more freedom than I do but a ton more responsibility. “I understand, I mean, my father just wants me married off to anybody who will have me.” I realize how sad that sounds and I feel even more upset. “I want out, too, Vittorio. I really do. This mob life is draining, and ridiculous.”

He smiles, probably because I skip the wholethis thing we doprocess. Well, if there’s any risk of bugs, he doesn’t seem to care either. “Being the boss’s son, well, it’s just not something I enjoy. I figured that out today. My old friends see me, and they’re treating me with all this deference I haven’t even earned. “

“Well, I wish I could get some respect. I’ve been trying for years to get him to call me Izzy and to have people call me Izzy, but it’s not dignified enough for a top of the chain under… for who I am. My dad says it’s a stupid nickname that makes me seem like a kindergartener.”

He laughs. “Wow, I hadn’t thought of that nickname with you in a while. When I saw you in the store I just went to Bella because well, that’s what you made me think of, something beautiful.”

The compliment comes out of nowhere and I feel a blush rising up my body. “Um, thank you, yeah. I like Bella when you’re the one saying it.”

“Well, it will be our little secret then.” He puts one hand on his heart and takes one of mine in the other one. “I solemnly swear.”

I feel my breathing getting faster. “Seal the deal with a kiss,” I whisper.

And he does.

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