Page 4 of Consumed By the Mafia

Ryoma blew out a breath, willing his muscles to unclench. He was almost positive the boss hadn’t wanted outside parties to know about Vittorio’s arrival just yet.Congratulations my ass.The chief of police was playing games, trying to flex hisimagined muscle in a way that made him feel like he still had power. Ryoma made a mental note to talk to Cris about that in the morning, when he wouldn’t lose his own head for calling with a non-emergency.

“Was he some kind of local politician or something?” Abby asked. “He looked kinda familiar.”

Ryoma faced her properly again, the frown on his face morphing easily into another faint grin. “Kind of,” he echoed. “That was the local chief of police. I take it you don’t keep up with that sort of thing?”

She blinked at him for a second before scrunching up her nose in blatant distaste and draining her appletini. “Way too much trouble. I barely even pay attention to the news these days.”

He chuckled. “Can’t blame you for that.”

“Still, should I be concerned that my current companion seems to have such a tense relationship with the local chief of police?” Her eyes flashed as she leaned forward to rest her elbows on the table, her own lips lifting in a small, teasing grin. The flirty scoop neck of her dress dropped a little lower, providing him a bird’s-eye-view of her cleavage.

No longer sure it was the alcohol that had his head spinning, Ryoma swung to his feet and laid his hand practically in front of her face, palm up. “Dance with me.”

Abby craned her neck back to blink up at him, her hair sliding over her shoulder to fall down her back. “I don’t even know how to respond to that.”

It took all his will power not to stare down her dress. “Say yes.”

two

The Mistake

Ryoma’s hands on herhips as he held her back to his chest had sent her heart nearly racing through the roof. He’d started their dance almost politely, but it hadn’t taken long for the sway of their bodies to fuel the spark between them. Abigail wasn’t sure what expression he’d seen on her face when he’d spun her around to plaster her chest to his. She only knew that when he moved his lips to her ear and suggested they go elsewhere, she was all too eager to agree.

She barely thought to grab her clutch from the table and she had no idea whether or not the cab they fell into had actually been called for them. It didn’t matter for longerthan a second.

Ryoma told the driver where to take them and promptly hauled Abigail into his lap. He anchored a hand over her thigh, arm curled around her, and let his other hand tangle in her hair as he tugged her in for a wet kiss.

Abigail moaned into the kiss, her hands coming up to twist in the fabric of his shirt. She’d never made out in the back of a cab before. Some part of her whispered that she shouldn’t be letting him touch her this way, that she knew better, but it was far too late for that logic. His touch was exactly the right kind of heavy, scalding even through her dress. Then there was the way he was kissing her. Like he was parched and she was the first cold glass of water he’d seen in days.

“Hey, control yourselves back there!” the cabby snapped.

Abigail tensed at the intrusion, panting as the kiss broke.

Ryoma cut a glare over her shoulder. “Eyes fuckin’ forward.” He used the hand in her hair to tilt her head back, exposing her throat, and proceeded to rain kisses across her skin. Lips, tongue, little nips of his teeth that had her gasping and curling her arms around his shoulders. He swept his tongue over the length of her collar bone and straightened again. “Can’t wait to peel this dress off you, baby girl.”

Her heart hammered and she dragged her nails down his chest until her fingers were poised just above his belt. “Kiss me like that again, and I’ll let you do whatever you want to me.” Preferably if he applied the same kissing technique to her long-neglected lady parts.

He smirked and pulled her closer, until their lips were almost touching once more. “If I slipped my hand under that skirt, would I find you already wet for me, Abby?”

Heat pulsed through her and she shifted in his lap. Her thigh brushed against his erection and he sucked in a breath. “Yes,” she whispered.

The car came to a stop as Ryoma’s hand left her hair. The cabby barked a number at them that she didn’t immediately realize was a price, and they shuffled until Ryoma had handed over and again retrieved his credit card. Abigail didn’t look back as she scrambled behind him out of the car and into the lobby of the hotel.

Ryoma curled his hand around hers and strode straight up to the counter, requesting a room for the night. The entire night.

Abigail listened distantly as he added a request for late checkout, wondering if they were as obvious as she thought they were. And if she cared. She thought only one of those answers was yes and she probably would care more about that in the morning. In the moment, the warm strength in Ryoma’s faintly calloused grip seemed much more important.

The clerk’s gaze flicked to her while he waited for the machine to print the keycard, his eyes a little too low.

Ryoma released her hand to curl his arm fully around her shoulders, pulling her against his side and turning her slightly into him. The motion was enough to prompt the clerk to look away and keep his eyes averted as he finally passed over the keycard moments later. Ryoma took it and guided her away without another word.

In the elevator, he pulled her up between his thighs and kissed her roughly. One hand latched onto her butt as he held her close, letting her feel his arousal. His hunger.

The whisper of sanity that had threatened to return while they stood in the lobby went running once more and Abigail melted into him. She nearly beaned him in the head with her clutch when she went to wrap her arms around his neck. The kiss broke as the elevator settled on the second floor, her face flushed from the earlier alcohol, her own arousal, and a rush of embarrassment. “Sorry!”

He chuckled, took her hand again, and led the way around the corner to the room the clerk had assigned them. She somewhat remembered hearing the number, but it only held significance when she saw the door in front of them.

Room 207.

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