Page 18 of The Mobster's Flower

His moon-gray eyes drop to the white box I am carrying before settling back on me. I almost hand him the goodies and run off, but I force my feet to stay rooted on the ground. “Hi, I’m Rue Carter, and I’m here to see Arya,” I say nervously.

“Open the box, please,” he orders.

“Uh, sure. I…” I stammer, trying to open the box, but before I can, the door behind the man opens, and Arya peeks out. She is wearing one of those pink hospital gowns, and there is a bandage wrapped around her ankle. She props her shoulder against the door as if to take the weight off one leg.

“Hi, Rue,” she beams before turning to the giant. “She is my friend, Jax. What is it with you and my brother scaring everyone off? Even the nurses are afraid to come in.”

The man doesn’t respond, prompting Arya to roll her eyes and call me into her room. I walk in, way too eager to get away from the glaring giant. “Your bodyguard?”

“I wish,” she says dreamily, her voice a notch lower as if she doesn’t want the man to hear her. She hops on to her hospital bed, wincing as she finds a comfortable position. “Jax is my brother’s right hand. He handles all of the family side businesses. I have known him since I was little.”

“You like him.”

She blushes, nodding at my words. “He doesn’t know. Even Vlad doesn’t know I have a crush on Jax. Always have.” Her focus shifts to the white box I am still holding, and she beams, her face lighting up like a Christmas tree. “Is that for me?”

I nod, passing the box to her, and she places it on the bed, her smile widening when she opens it to peek inside. “Oh, a bear claw! Those are my brother’s absolute favorite. He’ll be excited to have it when he gets here.” My cheeks flush at her words, and I try to distract her.

“I couldn’t find flowers, so I brought that instead. I should probably have asked if you are allowed to eat—” Arya pops a whole fruit tart into her mouth. “Never mind.”

“That’s delicious, but I will have to save the rest for later,” she says, closing the box. “I am scheduled for another MRI to recheck my brain since the doctors think I had a concussion. I keep telling him I’m doing fine, but he won’t listen.”

“And by ‘he’ you mean…”

“My brother; he just left to talk to the doctor. He’s the one insisting on a second MRI before I go home.”

I jump up, my eyes wide with horror. “Vlad is here?” Of course, he is. I need to leave. I can come back later when I am sure the man is gone, but before Arya can respond, the door is pushed open and in walks several people in nursing uniforms, but it’s the man dressed in black slacks and a white shirt that grabs my attention.

He looks like a dream, sleeves rolled up to reveal tattoos that I have ran my tongue over just last night. The white shirt hugs his torso perfectly, and with the first two buttons open, I get a glimpse of his chest and that powerful neck. The same neck I held on to tightly as he thrust his manhood into my sex over and over again last night.

His lips are drawn in a firm line, and I long to feel them press hard against mine. To feel his harsh breath against my skin as he trails his lips down my body, but it’s those eyes watching me that suck the breath from my lungs.

“We’re here to take you for your MRI, Miss Arya,” speaks an unfamiliar voice, but it barely registers. In a room full of people, I see no one but the crime boss.

I crave no one’s attention but his.

I want him.

***

The room is silent, and it’s just the two of us. Even the giant that was outside the door left with Arya and the nurses, and now, it’s just Vlad and me.

I should leave.

Being alone in a room alone with Vlad is not a good idea, and I should consider getting the hell out, but Arya with her big, sweet eyes begged me to wait for her to get back.

“Please don’t go anywhere, Rue,” she’d pled. “I’ve been alone all morning with these two, and they are so boring. I want to spend time with a girl my age for once.”

So, here I am, in a room alone with the man I was trying to avoid, waiting for Rue to get back. At least there is some distance between me and Vlad, who is seated at the other end of the room.

“How are you feeling?” Vlad asks, addressing me for the first time since he walked into the hospital room. There is some tension between us, and it’s sizzling, but I refuse to look too deeply into it.

“I’m not the one who had an accident,” I mutter under my breath, but it must make its way to him.

“That’s not what I am talking about.”

My brows draw in confusion, and I turn around to look at him. He’s leaned back against a hospital chair, looking like he owns the entire hospital. His elbow is resting on the arm of the chair and his thighs are spread, exposing the outline of his manhood pushing at the seam of his pants, thick and…hard.

I quickly look away, swallowing down my own need. My sex has been warm and achy since he walked into the room, but I won’t let myself fall down that rabbit hole again.

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