Page 40 of Bound to the Mafia King

I was at a loss for words.

How could he ask me something like that?

He waited for my answer, but I had nothing for him.

“Why do you call me that?Cielo.”

His eyes narrowed. “Don’t change the subject. You owe me an answer.”

“And so do you, it seems.”

He rolled his eyes. “I can’t tell you right now. But maybe a little later down the line. Now answer my question.”

“That wasn’t a question, you more or less demanded.”

“What’s the difference?” he blinked.

I rolled my eyes before I pushed off his chest. I pulled the sheets to my chest to cover my breasts. I tucked some strand of hair behind my ear and looked to the window. The sun raised beyond the hills, signally the start of a new day. The morning cold misted against the window, and the birds chirped outside softly.

It looked so peaceful, such a striking backdrop for the home of a Mafia Queen. You would think that the Valdez family would reside in a dark hilltop lair, but Savina had turned this place into a home.

I envied that.

I was jealous of the way she was able to stay within this world and still have it all. She had her family, a man who adored her and an empire that she commanded. She was respected, feared and her people were fiercely loyal to her. She was the queen on the chessboard while I was merely a pawn.

I never got to choose. I never got to decide how my life would move. I was simply at the mercy of the men in my world who determined where to best position me.

“I can’t marry you,” I sighed. “If marriage were a choice for me, then I would want it with someone who was deeply and irrevocably in love with me. I wouldn’t want it to be some deal or obligation I had to fulfill for mine or anyone else’s safety.”

“Love will come after.” He said it so surely. “It did for my brother.”

“That’s different.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Could you see yourself loving me, or anyone, for that matter?”

He went quiet.

“You see? If I could choose who to marry, then I would want it to be for love. I don’t want to marry someone who cannot orchooses not tolove me.” I let out a humorless laugh. “I know it’s childish to think like this, but I want true love. I want the kind of love I read about in books. The one that made me imagine a world without problems.”

He remained silent.

“I know you can’t give me what I want, and even if you could, my life has already been written out for me. There is no escapingwhat is already there.” The reality of what I was living hurt more than I cared to admit. “So… I cannot marry you, Valerio.”

Understanding reflected in his eyes. I had spent enough time with this man, at this point, that I should have known something. And yet, I knew nothing about him. He kept his heart guarded and hidden from the rest of the world. That night at the gala I had seen a glimpse into his pain, and it had been tortuous.

“Fine. You don’t have to marry me.” He lifted from his posturing and cupped the side of my face. On instinct, I leaned into his touch. “But I think we both could use some time away from this golden cage. Go on a date with me.”

“Is that a question or an order?”

“Anastasia, will you please accompany me into the city for a date today?” His tone oozed sarcasm, which only made me laugh. “I don’t understand how people do that shit. Asking.”

I threw my head back and let out a loud laugh before I calmed and remembered that this was meant to be a secret rendezvous. No one could know that he was in my room.

“Yes. I would love to accompany you.”

He leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine with a gentle kiss. I would never tire of him kissing me. It always brought a soft fluttery feeling to my chest.

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