Page 58 of That Time I Accidentally Took Over the Mafia

“Nice shirt.” He grins, pinching the fabric between two fingers and pulling me to him by it. He gives me a morning kiss, a swipe of his tongue teasing me for more, but he pulls away. “Go sit. I’ll make you a plate.” He pats my ass as he walks to the counter. “That shirt is going to be my favorite shirt now.”

“I’m stealing another one tomorrow,” I call back, padding over to the table.

“Then that one will be my favorite tomorrow.” He’s so damn cute when he winks at me, those mouthwatering dimples on display.

“Good morning.” I rub Luca’s chest as I walk around him, then invite myself to sit on his leg. I’m careful not to put my ass in his lap. I know he wants to talk about… us, and while I love teasing him, I want to respect that impending conversation.

“Lenny,” he protests halfheartedly as his hand moves to my thigh.

I turn and cup his jaw with my hand, placing a soft kiss on his cheek. “You jumped into a raging river for me.” My eyes scan his, and I see them soften. “Don’t push me away now.” Emotion rises within me, and my voice cracks on the last few words. “Can I just sit next to you?”

I move to stand, but he tightens his hold on my hip, his other hand grabbing my inner thigh. “Don’t—get up.”

The rush of warmth that surges through me makes me grin, and he leans his head on my shoulder. “You’re trouble, Len. You know that? Trouble with a capital fucking T.”

“Well, I work hard at it, so thank you for the compliment.” I wriggle back and forth with a sing-song tune, and he growls.

“You’re going to have to be still, though.”

“Hm, we’ll see.”

Jax sets down a plate of pancakes, and I may burst into a multi-orgasmic state just from looking at it.

“Oh my god, Jax.” I literally drool as he sets the plate in front of me. “Marry me.”

“I tried to once. I’ll gladly try again.” He smirks when I smack his arm. “Just let me know when you’re ready for Wedding 2.0, and I’ll be there.”

If I’ve died and gone to heaven, then I’m so damn glad the sky daddy let me through the pearly gates. Three fluffy pancakes steam on the plate, topped with roasted peaches, nuts, and warm maple syrup. Jax delivers a small bowl of cream, and I remember our texts.

“Peaches and cream.” I chuckle. “You slut.” My jab at his earlier text earns me another wink as he puts a fresh sucker in his mouth.

I cut a decent-sized bite, making sure to get a little bit of everything, and the food makes love to my taste buds. If I wasn’t dead before, I am now. The pancakes are buttery soft, the tender peaches oven-roasted in a cinnamon bourbon glaze, and the toasted nuts add a perfect crunch. It’s so good I close my eyes, lean my head back, and release a satisfied moan as the flavors burst in my mouth.

“Jax, goddamn,” I mutter, shaking my head as I cut another bite. I turn around, giving this one to Luca. He squints at me but lets me feed it to him. “You couldn’t cook like this before the slammer.”

“Yeah, I worked in the kitchens and picked up a few skills. I had to do something to pass the time other than jack off thinkingabout you two and working the prison network for information on the Caputo heiress murder-for-hire.”

“Oh my god. I nearly forgot,” I say between bites, taking a drink of orange juice. “Fuck, he even freshly squeezed the oranges, didn’t he?”

“No, but he made me do it. Every single one.” Luca grumbles, taking a piece of the pepper-and-brown-sugar bacon. “I’m getting him a goddamn juicer for Christmas.”

“Well, it’s delicious.”

Luca is grumpy on purpose, but his fingers tenderly rub my thigh with such softness that I know he’s faking it.

“So, I chatted up this old lady in the bathroom. She said my dad was the one that put the hits out on me. Is that true?”

“No, he was the first person I looked at once I found out your name was at the top of the mafia kill list.” Luca holds my leg firmly, as if making sure I know I’m safe now.

“Dang, the top?” My eyebrows rise as more pancakes disappear down the hatch. Luca taps my leg and nods toward the plate, so I spear another bite for him. “Open.”

He raises an eyebrow at me, as if to say I’m pushing it, and I return it with a sly grin.

“It’s an underboss within one of the families trying to make a power grab, or it’s a rival clan like the Irish,” Jax says, stealing a piece of bacon and dodging when I try to stab his hand with my fork. “Everybody wants to be top dog.”

“Yeah, well, there’s only room for one bitch at the top.”

“Oh, I love it when you’re feisty.” Jax goes for another piece of bacon, but I successfully fend him off this time.

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