Page 25 of Who I Crave To Be

The man before us bulks like he was slapped, all humor wiped from his face when he sees the death glare Deano is sporting.His fingers flex on my hips before he gently places me down and moves me to the side.

Straightening to his full height, he dusts off his suit jacket before prowling slowly towards his mark.

“What the fuck did you just say, Bronzo?”he utters eerily calm with an unhealthy dose of menace.

“Shit!I’m sorry man, I didn’t think, I didn’t know!”He rushes, placing his hands out in front of him like that will slow Deano down.

It won’t.Quicker than I thought possible for a man of his muscular size to move, he’s on Bronzo in a flash, pounding against his face until bones splinter and he steps back bloody.

His crisp white shirt sprayed crimson as he fights to regulate his choppy breathing.

I stand back a little startled at his reaction and the brutal mess he made, but a traitorous and unsavory part of me has to clench my thighs to gain some kind of friction as the show of violence turns me on.

It might be wrong, but to feel protected, breeds arousal all on its own.

But it’s more than feeling protected, it’s feeling wanted.

Untouchable and important.

Like I actually matter, tosomeone.

“You may be my cousin, Bronzo, but don’t you ever disrespect what belongs to me,” Deano utters, the same air of calmness surrounds him as he straightens the cuffs of his shirt before reaching out a hand and helping Bronzo stand to his feet.

I look around panicked, expecting some kind of fall out or savage outrage.Maybe a part of me even expects a shootout because this is a Mafia family after all.

But when my eyes find Maria’s they’re sparkling in golden amber and blue specs.She smiles proudly and when those beautiful eyes find mine, her smile widens and she offers me a nod of the head in acknowledgement.Her eyes water and she places a hand to her chest in hopes of starving away the tears and a man at her side, who is the spitting image of Deano pulls her in close and chuckles, offering me a slight wave before guiding his wife back into the cabin.

It’s strange, but the reaction gives me some random sense of approval.

Like they may actually welcome me if Deano and I decided to make this more than just a weekend thing.

But as quickly as it comes, I shut down the thought.

Because nobody like me would ever belong in a place as magnificent as this.

I’m pulled out of my thoughts by deep, brooding laughter and when I turn, it’s to see Deano and Bronzo clapping each other on the back.

“I’m sorry, brother,” Bronzo wheezes before turning to face me.He stumbles forward, taking my shaky hand in his.“I’m sorry, Darling.Forgive my rudeness.Whether you were Deano’s lady or not, I had no right to speak so crudely about a beauty such as yourself.I forgot myself, we aren’t all pigs.I was raised with more respect than that.”He smiles and I can’t help but scoff, smiling in return.

“I don’t think that sounded as smooth as you think it did,” I barb, a devious smirk tilting my lips.

“Too tacky?”he asks around a deep belly laugh.

“Just a smidge.”I chuckle in return as the music changes and Bronzo declares that it’s time to party.

The night darkens and the drinks flow but it isn’t long before the sadness creeps in.

I actually like these people, Deano’s family.And it hurts knowing that come tomorrow morning, all of this will be over.That I’ll be back to bussing tables at a diner and struggling to make ends meet.

Bryce Fox’s“Stomp Me Out”booms through the speakers and I drift a little from the crowd we were dancing in.I twirl to the rhythm, eyes closed as I let the words settle into my bones and that same feeling of longing for exhilaration overtakes me.The wind gathers my sandy blond strands and sends them in a soft flow around my head carried by the breeze.I wind my hips, needing to let the air filter through my lungs, burning with a brand of adrenaline.I blink my eyes open, locked right away with ocean blues as he stares at me intently following my moves and biting his lip as his jaw hammers from desire.

I turn, showing him how my ass moves just right when I lose all focus to the waves.The waters are calm around the yacht, soft ripples hitting against the side of the boat draw me into the darkness.The stars offer no light as I stare into a void, wanting to know what it would feel like when it consumes me.

“Will you jump?”Deano’s rough timber caresses the side of my neck as his body heat engulfs me.“You want to don’t you?”he whispers and I nod my head in agreement, unable to look away from the darkness that surrounds us.He takes my hand in his as the music hits the chorus and somehow it seems to bellow louder around us.Turning to me, he smirks and utters, “On the count of three?”

I chuckle, wanting to tell him how insane he is but when I see how serious he is, I can’t help but smile in shaky agreement.My heart is pounding with nerves at what awaits us in the shadows.We’re dressed in our finest attire and yet, neither of us care.

Because none of that matters.

---