Page 44 of A Dark Mafia Christmas

“You own this place?”

Fianna can’t be any older than me, and I can’t help comparing my tiny New York apartment with a view of tenement buildings and traffic to this. I’ll never afford to buy even the tiniest apartment in the city, and here she is with the keys to a property that would house several families. I’m not envious. I’m in awe.

“My parents gave me the deposit.” She wrinkles her nose. “I know I’m lucky that my family can help me out, but I want to finish this without any more financial help from them and their acquaintances.”

If she means people like the psycho from the pub the day before, I can understand why.

“What are you going to do with it?”

“I want to turn it into a boutique hotel. I have so many ideas, Mary. Each room is going to be themed, unique, and provide an experience rather than just an overnight stay. I want people to remember it after they’ve spent a night here, you know. I’ve never forgotten staying in a hotel in Dublin with my parents when I was a little girl. It was like stepping into another world with the huge chandeliers and the four-poster bed.” She takes my hands in hers. “I want people to feel that same excitement when they walk in.”

Her enthusiasm is infectious. I can already envisage a fairytale-themed room with antique lace curtains around the bed, an old-fashioned wooden stand with a porcelain bowl to wash in, and a woodland scene painted across the walls complete with fairies, sprites, and pixies.

“You don’t think I’m crazy, do you?” Fine lines appear between her eyebrows.

I shake my head. “I don’t think you’re crazy. I think it’s a brilliant idea.” A thought occurs to me then. “Does Emmett know about this?”

“No. No one else knows apart from my parents. I just had a feeling that you would see it as I do.”

My heart skips a little to think that she told me before Emmett. “I wish I could help.”

Her smile is wide, like this was the reason she brought me here. “Why don’t you? Why don’t you stay and help?”

“I…” My thoughts are falling over each other, trying to remind me of all the reasons why I must go back. But one reason stands out more than all the others.

Emmett.

“Mary.” Fianna sucks her bottom lip, psyching herself up for what she’s about to say. “You and Emmett… You’re not really engaged to be married, are you?”

“Y-you know?” My heart performs a somersault, and I think I’m going to be sick. “Did he tell you?”

“No. But he would never have bought you a ring when he was always going to have Granny Mary’s, and you would never have met his family without any clothes of your own.” She pauses, choosing her words carefully. “I don’t know what’s going on—you’ll tell me in your own time—but if you want to stay and help me, I would love to have you on board.”

Tears sting behind my eyes, emotion swirling around my chest. “Why?” I sniff loudly. “I mean, you don’t know anything about me.”

She shrugs. “I know that you love my cousin.”

“Shit. Is it that obvious?”

“Only to anyone who sees you two together.”

The words make me feel nauseous as they spill out. “I’m not sure he feels the same way about me.”

“Oh, Mary.” Fianna chuckles softly. “You really don’t know him at all, do you?”

15

EMMETT

The next couple of days pass by in a blur of stolen moments with Mary. We fuck in the stables, the art studio, and the games room. We fuck on every available surface in my bedroom and Mary’s guest room, and it seems that the more I have of her, the more I want.

I’ve never known anyone like Mary Chrysler. Her body responds to mine in a way that’s so natural, so passionate, so hungry and demanding, it’s like having my eyes focused with new spectacles. I can see now that everything I did before Mary came into my life was just messing around. It had no substance. No heart.

No strings attached meant that I didn’t bother holding onto the memories either.

That’s how this is different. I will never forget this Christmas with Mary.

It’s as if she has replaced everything that family meant to me until now with a memory that will make my cock twitch every time I think of it.

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