Page 69 of Owned by the Italian Mafia Boss
In a move I can’t help but love it because it makes her submit to me, my hand naturally wraps around her throat and squeezes.
I see it. The relief. The way her eyes shut, and her shoulders rise with every breath she takes.
“Look. At. Me.” The demand is sardonic and her eyes fly open. Her fear and vulnerability are clear as day in the gorgeous pools of her irises. Not in fear of me after what has happened. “I will always fucking be there. Do you understand? I will always save you. I will always protect what is mine.” I bring my lips to hers, not kissing her, but to make my promise known. “You. Are. Mine. Delilah.” I tighten my grip and she gasps. “I will spare my life to get to you. Make no mistake; there is nothing and no one that will ever get in my way to having you safe in my arms.”
She presses her lips to mine in a kiss, the smallest sob escaping her, and I swallow it down quickly so no one can hear.
“Wow, hey, I don’t want to see that. Gross.” Ari laughs.
I break away from Delilah and narrow my eyes at my brother.
“Kidding. Lighten up.” His attention falls to Delilah. “You look like crap, sis.” Ari sits next to her and tugs on a piece of her knotted hair after a restless sleep.
She kept having nightmares. I feel like we’ve switched places. She calmed my nightmares, and now hers are just beginning.
“Shut up.” She slaps his hand away and pulls her hair into a messy bun on top of her head.
I love it when she does that. She looks so beautiful, but it’s the comfort I like the most.
“I’m just kidding. You’re pretty and stuff.” Ari boops her nose, and she rolls her eyes.
“I feel like you’re a child,” I say, pouring Ryan a smoothie.
See? I’m welcoming. I’m a nice-ish guy. I can do…things.
“Growing up sucks. Who wants to do that?” Ari stretches his arm back and winces, but he looks better than he did. He has color to his face again and is no longer taking pain medicine.
“You have great movement in your shoulder,” Delilah notices, taking the straw between her lips.
I’m reminded of yesterday when I got to feel them around my cock, and I had to hold in a grumble of pleasure. I want nothing more than to throw her in bed and have my way with her. Ever since she’s been pregnant, my appetite for her has increased to dangerous levels.
The thought of her growing my child, completely full of me, of us, it unlocks something very primal inside me.
“Thanks. Granted the botch job that was done.” He grins, teasing her a bit before getting up and heading over to the coffee pot, but even hearing the tease in his tone, her eyes well with tears.
“I did the best I could with what I had. I’m sorry,” she sasses, but she’s hiding her emotions. Her tears cause her eyes to become glassy. In true Delilah form, she does her best to make sure not one tear falls.
“Fucking fix it. Now. If one tear falls, I’ll burn you with the same poker,” I say to him.
Ari frowns and heads over to her, taking her hand in his. “Listen to me. Hey, come on, look at me.” He sounds so serious. I’ve never heard him use that kind of tone before. She finally gives him her attention. “I appreciate what you did. You saved my life. I’m only ever teasing you, and I’m sorry. You did everything you could; without you, I would have died. I don’t care how gnarly my scar looks. I’m standing here because of you. I’m alive because of you. Anything I say to get a rise out of you, ignore me. I’m an asshole, but I’m a thankful asshole. You’ve come to mean a lot to me, Delilah. You’re the sister I wished I had instead of my brothers.”
She giggles at last, and my chest loosens with relief. I don’t ever want to see her cry. I always want her to be happy, and Ari, with his big mouth, will probably make her cry more often now, especially since she’s pregnant.
"You aren’t allowed to cry,” Ari states. “You’re cooking my niece, and she needs to be happy.”
“Cooking? Really?” He drives me nuts.
“What? She’s cooking. She’s baking. She’s doing something I can’t do.”
Delilah takes a sip of her smoothie. “How do you know it’s a girl?”
“She needs to be because another man in this house is going to drive me crazy. I want to have pretend tea parties. Kids are fun. Adults suck. It better be a girl, Delilah,” he points at her. “I won’t accept anything else.”
She slides off the barstool and comes to my side. I wrap my arms around her and kiss her cheek. “Well, don’t be mad at me. That isn’t up to me. That was up to him. If boys run in the family, which seems to be the case, then I’m sure we will have a boy. You can still have tea parties with him.”
“But it won’t be as fun without the outfits, Delilah. The tutus, crowns, and then the cute stuffed animals around the table. That’s the fun stuff.”
“You’ve thought about this a lot.”
