Page 9 of The Mobster's Flower

“If you are worried about Arya, don’t be. She is in safe hands,” he says. “Let me give you what you need.”

“Okay.”

The word slips out. With his entire being focused on my so intently, I’m powerless to say anything else. I want to give him whatever he wants. And for some reason, what he wants is to help me.

“Good girl,” he rasps, his eyes firmly on mine.

To little words, but they light a fire in me. I imagine my face and hair are basically the same shade or red now, but at the same time, a feeling of satisfaction flows through me. Everything about Vlad is all-encompassing. His mere presence exudes dominance. To be the focus of his undivided attention and the recipient of his praise is…intoxicating.

Chapter Four

Vlad

Rue looks nervous as we pull away from the hospital parking lot. She drums her finger nervously on her thigh, and I almost reach over and take her hand in mine, but I am not certain as to how that would be received. Something in her demeanor has shifted since we got in the car and the tension sits heavily between us.

You called her a good girl and she practically melted on the spot.

I shake my head and focus on the road, trying to shake free the image of Rue’s flushed cheeks and stuttered breaths when I praised her. No, I can’t focus on that. It’s clear this girl is as pure as the freshly fallen snow, not to mention that she’s about the same age as my baby sister.

Still, there’s something about her that calls to me. I want to take care of her, to keep her close and protect her like she’s something precious. Because she is. Even though she lost her business when my sister’s car destroyed her cart, she still put Arya—a stranger—first. She calmed my sister when she was scared and didn’t leave her side until I arrived at the hospital. I’ve been around enough to know few people would do that.

So here I am, driving away from the hospital with a clearly nervous girl in my passenger seat. One who is seconds awayfrom springing open the door and jumping out. I can tell from the way she keeps clenching and unclenching her fingers on her lap.

“If you are terrified to be alone with me, you can call someone and let them know.”

“That would only make them nervous,” she snarks, causing my lips to twitch with a smile.

“I don’t know what you’ve heard about me, but contrary to what some people think, I don’t actually eat babies for breakfast.”

“I haven’t heard anything about you,” she whispers, pressing her head against the headrest. “I didn’t need to. I saw how everyone treated Arya after the accident and at the hospital.”

That gives me pause. “And how was that?”

Rue is quiet for a moment, and I almost think she’s not going to tell me when she finally does. “They were scared of her, like if they made one wrong move, there’d be hell to pay.”

I grit my teeth and stare at the road ahead. I understand the town’s fear for me. Unlike most people, I don’t forgive when slighted and can go overboard when I need to make a point, but I never imagined that their fear would extend to my sister. It makes some sense, I suppose. Despite my best efforts to shield her, it’s no secret that Arya is the most important person in my life.

“What about you, are you afraid of me?”

I don’t need to turn to her to see her watching me. I can feel her gaze on my skin, warm and caressing. “I don’t have a reason to be scared of you. I don’t know you,” she says. “But Ican’t dismiss the fact that the whole town seems to be. Though, I admit your presence makes me a little nervous.”

“What about it does?”

“Your eyes,” she blurts out, and I can tell she didn’t mean to say that bit out loud with the way she quickly looks away.

“What about my eyes?”

“I… Never mind. I didn’t mean to say that.”

I decide to let it go. For now. The rest of the time is spent in silence as I drive us to the other side of town. The buildings grow fewer and further between until there are no more. I can tell she isn’t paying much attention to where we’re headed, and it’s not until I’ve stopped the car that she snaps to focus.

“We’re here,” I tell her, pushing the car door open and climbing out.

Rue follows me, her eyes wide with confusion as she does so. “Where’s here?” she asks, her hair swinging about as she turns around to make sense of our surroundings. There is a part of me that wants to dig my fingers into that thick hair and feel its texture. I want to bury my nose in it and smell the sweet flowery scent I caught earlier.

Did she use real flowers to make her hair smell like that, and…does the rest of her smell that way too?

My cock swells in my pants the longer I watch her. It aches with the need to shove her against the car, tear off that dress, and rut her like a dog. We’re alone in a deserted place. I can make her scream with pleasure, and this far away from town, no one would hear her.

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