Page 10 of Mafia Rules

I take her hand and escort her out of the room, ignoring my brother's objections. I turn down a hallway and stop where we can dip behind a door, out of view and earshot of anyone.

“Ash, I know nothing about the project,” she utters.

“Who did it?” I press her back against the wall. My hand lifts her chin so our eyes connect. She looks away, stumbling over her words, unable to form a coherent sentence. “I need a name, Eve.” My hand holds her chin, and my thumb caresses the softness of her plump lower lip.

“It’s over,” she says, a large breath leaving her body. Her eyes shimmer as tears threaten to fall. “I left him.”

“Is that when he did this?” I let go of her chin and with a gentle pull, her sleeve slides up, exposing her arm that is marred with deep, angry bruises.

“Yes.” She hangs her head, unwilling to meet my eyes.

“You have nothing to be ashamed of, Eve.” I take her into my arms and hold her fragile body flush to mine. My heart pounds fiercely in my chest. It takes all my strength not to leave right now and find this guy. “He’ll never touch you again. I promise.”

Eve’s body slumps into mine and shakes as she sobs. Seeing her like this makes my stomach churn with anger. I gently move her tousled hair to the side, revealing her delicate, ivory neck,and instinctively lean in, pressing my lips on her. She smells of sweet flowers with a hint of vanilla.

“Ash.” She pulls away as soon as my lips touch. “I’m sorry, I can’t. I don’t want you to pity me.” She places the palms of her hands firmly on my chest, and I lean into them as she tries to push me away from her.

“I don’t pity you, Eve. But I’ll fuckin’ murder anyone that touches you.” I didn’t want to scare her, but being calm in these situations was never my thing. Brute force is my go-to.

“This is my issue to handle, Ash.” She stops trying to push me off when she realizes I’m not going anywhere. Her hands rest on my stomach, keeping me inches from her.

“You don’t have to handle anything.” I move her hands up my body, savoring her touch until they reach my lips. She lets out an almost-silent sigh, slightly shaking her head.

“Ash…” she mouths, just as I gently kiss each tip of her fingers.

“You’ll never hurt again.” I can't help but get lost in the silky texture of her long, purple hair. With a gentle pull, her face comes into view, radiating beauty. I close the gap between our lips—

“We should get back.” She takes advantage of my weak moment and pushes me back far enough to escape the prison I held her in, then turns the doorknob. “They’ll be wondering where we are.”

I put my hand on the door, stopping it from opening fully. “I don’t care about them, Eve. I need a name. We don’t leave until I get it.”

“No.” The contradiction between the meekness in her eyes and the forceful tone of her voice intrigues me. I didn’t dare laugh, in case she thought I didn’t take her seriously. It didn’t help that it made my cock come to life, wondering if she was forceful in bed—the only place I’d let her push me around.

As soon as my hand is off the door, she swiftly opens it and storms out, her fiery purple hair trailing behind her. I stay behind momentarily, concealing the smile that creeps across my face and the undeniable arousal I feel.

7

EVE

The nerve of him, all because of his power. He thinks he can step into my life and fix it like one of his little challenges. The door closes, and I hear footsteps trailing behind me.

"Eve," he calls out softly.

I walk faster back to the dining room and his brothers, where he better not dare mention what we discussed. Just before the room comes into view, I stop and turn back to Ash. "You don't get to fix my life. Do you understand?" I look up to him and point my finger like he's a little boy that needs to be scolded.

"I won't let someone hurt you, Eve." He steps into my space and grabs the finger I am pointing.

“You’re my employer, well, potential employer…” I remind him, but I don’t pull away from his warm grip on my hand.

“We’re more than that.” His head cocks to the side while his tongue moistens his lips.

My mind drifts back to the previous morning, watching him… them. Surely, that can’t be what he means. It’s like the awkwardelephant in the room. “I’ll only ever be your employee, Mr. McKenzie.” I pull my hand from him and walk into the dining room, where his brothers seem to have dipped into the booze while we were away.

I take my seat and force a fake smile, hoping not to give my mood away.

“Where’s Ash?” Ford looks behind me.

“He was right there.” I swing around but don’t see him.Was he upset with me?For the first time, fear builds inside of me. Ash didn’t get what he wanted, but he better get his ass out here.

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