Page 15 of Unhinged Little Angel

“I was raised Catholic, Angioletto, and I may not be a religious man anymore, but some things stick. If I’m getting married, it’s going to be a real marriage, with all the commitment and benefits.”

“Sex?” I bristle and my traitorous cock throbs, a flicker of heat taking up residence in the pit of my stomach. “I have someone threatening to kill me and you’re worried about our wedding night? Jesus Christ,” I mutter, pinching the bridge of my nose and willing my body to stop finding any part of this hot. I don’t want some Mafia thug to leverage safety for sex. Idon’t. My cock jerks in abject disagreement.

Salvatore doesn’t say a word while I sit across from him fighting with myself. It’s a negotiation tactic to keep the upper hand—don’t say anything more than absolutely necessary. Maybe I’ll run back to the car and grab the gun, then we’ll see who has the upper hand. Then again, waving a gun around in here will probably get us kicked out without food and I’m too damn hungry to risk that.

“Fine,” I bite out the word, lowering my hand and opening my eyes again to see him still staring at me with hooded eyes and parted lips. Too many hours of driving, the repetitive lines of the road hypnotizing me and making my eyes tired, has clearly made me delirious. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he’s actually getting off on this, that he actuallywantsthis. “We good then? You’ll cooperate?”

“One more thing,” he says. “You’re coming to me for protection, so I need you to agree to let me protect you.”

I frown. Now he’s just talking in circles. I wave my hand dismissively.

“Sure, whatever. Like I said, this guy is gutless. If I send him a copy of our marriage announcement, I think that’ll be enoughto keep him away. And once I’m sure he’s moved on, we can just get divorced.”

Salvatore grunts noncommittally.

“Do we have a deal?” I ask again.

“We have a deal,” he purrs, then crooks his finger at me. “Seal it with a kiss.”

I roll my eyes again. I guess I’d better get used to it. Whatever. It’s just sex, and I’m hardly a prude. It’s a small price to pay to end this without any more bloodshed. I lean across the table and pucker my lips obediently, but the kiss doesn’t come immediately like I’m expecting. Salvatore’s chair scrapes against the linoleum floor and when I peel my eyes open again to see what’s happening, he’sright there, standing over me with a predatory gleam in his eyes that should make me sick to my stomach. There’s something different about it from the usual empty, aggressive appraisal I’m used to. I don’t have much time to try to figure out exactly what makes the look in his eyes different though. He plants one hand on the table and leans down into my space.

His breath bathes my face, and he hooks his other hand behind my neck, making a gasp catch in my throat. He hesitates for just a second, not even a full heartbeat, but it’s long enough for something inside of me to quiver and ache impatiently. No,notimpatiently. I’m not waiting for him to kiss me. I just need his help, and this is the only way to get it.

His fingers dig into the back of my neck, and he drags me forward that last inch, fully in control as his lips meet mine. The kiss isn’t gentle, but it isn’t rough either. The same confident authority he wields so easily with a simple shift in his tone is written all over the way his mouth moves against mine. Demanding, possessive,claiming.

A hot shiver runs through me, and I gasp against his mouth, parting my lips and inadvertently melting into him. That achefrom before sweeps through me again, leaving my cock painfully hard and my heart racing. Salvatore tightens his grip and teases his tongue along the seam of my lips with a sigh before releasing me. I sway forward in a daze.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to see if you folks are ready to order?” My heart is still pounding so loudly I can barely hear the waitress.

Salvatore slides casually back into his seat across from me, looking smug and pleased with himself.

“I’m sure this is a longshot, but you wouldn’t happen to have champagne, would you? It seems we have something to celebrate.” He’s all charm now, giving the waitress a friendly smile.

She uses her pen to scratch her head. “I think we have pre-mixed mimosas?” She says it like a question.

“Perfect. Two of those, please, and give us just another minute with the menus.”

She nods and wanders off again, and I finally manage to pull myself out of my stupor. It was just a kiss. A really nice kiss, sure, but still just a kiss. This is business… no, it’s not even that. It’s practical, it’s self-preservation. I’m just overtired and stressed, so I’m responding strangely to the relief of Sal agreeing to help me. I’ll put up with his demands because I have to, not because any part of me is curious how he plans to try to tame my supposed bratting.

My cock pulses against my thigh and I swallow down a huff, grabbing my napkin off the table and aggressively spreading it across my lap. I should have just killed Don years ago and saved myself all this trouble.

Chapter 8

DANTE

Somewhere between drugging Salvatore and him sliding his platinum credit card across the desk at one of the most expensive hotels in Los Vespar, I think I really lost control of this abduction.

When we hit the city, we stopped to buy the essentials and a few less tacky clothing options to get us through the next couple of days. I swing the bags impatiently in my hand while he finishes smooth talking the man behind the desk and signing the credit card receipt.

“Enjoy your stay, and congratulations.” The man gives me a big, sappy smile. “I’ll see about sending something special up to your room.”

“Yeah, thanks,” I mutter, too tired from fifteen hours of driving to fake any of the necessary enthusiasm. Why Salvatore is going around telling everyone about our upcoming wedding is beyond me. Maybe the drugs scrambled his brain and he thinks this is real. Or maybe this is some mind-fuck way of getting the upper hand.

“Come on, Angioletto, I’m dying to get out of these clothes.” He puts his hand on my lower back and guides me through the opulent lobby, our shoes clicking on the marble tiles while the whirs and whistles of slot machines echo loudly from the casino.

“Not wasting any time collecting on my end of the deal, huh?” I bristle and consider slapping his hand away from me, but I suppose it’s practical to have him touching me. At least I know he’s still with me and isn’t attempting to make a run for it now we’re in a loud, chaotic city where it would be all too easy for him to lose me if he wanted to.

We reach the elevators, and I see his lips twitch with a grin in the reflection on the shiny gold doors.

---