Page 58 of Taming Nikki

He was relaxed before Marino arrived, but his mask came up and his posture went rigid in front of the newcomers. Don Marino wasn’t a pushover, he was known for being a cheat and a real bastard if you crossed him. His wife was a twig of a woman, silent with downcast eyes, like all mafia wives were expected to be. A fresh wave of irritation washed over me and I had to excuse myself to the restroom to stay calm.

I took a few deep breaths, staring at myself in the mirror. I could do this. I could play pretend for a freaking week. I blew out a breath and swung to leave when Leo pushed through the door, locking it behind him. I frowned.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“You looked like you wanted to shoot someone. I came to make sure you aren’t armed.”

I made a face at him. “Ha ha. I’m not going to shoot anyone. You still have my gun, remember?”

He stalked towards me and, out of instinct, I stepped back. It wasn’t that I was afraid he would hurt me. I was more worried about the fact that it looked like he wanted to eat me and I already had trouble resisting him in the car. Ever since the damn club diddle, he’d been front and center of all my fantasies, and it was driving me insane. My back bumped the wall behind me and he caged me in with his hands pressed against the wall on either side of my head.

I searched his face, trying to figure out his intentions, but his eyes were on my mouth. “Vitale, don’t–”

He lunged at me, his lips crashing over mine. I tried to push him away, but he ran his tongue across the seam of my mouth and I parted them without thinking. His tongue tangled with mine, a low groan escaping him, and I couldn’t think anymore. I grabbed the lapels of his jacket, yanking him closer. His hips pressed against mine, the ridge of his erection grinding against my clit, and I whimpered as lightning shot straight to my core. One of his hands slipped behind my neck to keep me from pulling away, the other moved to my hip before grabbing a handful of my ass.

Just like at the Senator’s mansion, I was completely lost in what he was doing. Each nip, lick, and growl from him brought me farther from reality and into a little world that was entirely made up of Leo and what he was doing to me. The hand on my butt slid down until he could pull my leg up and around his hip. It changed the angle, let him in closer and grind harder against me. I moaned and dug my hands into his hair.

His hips moved rhythmically against mine, mimicking what we could be doing with a few less layers of clothing. I was panting, breathless as I dragged my mouth from his and leaned my head against the wall. His lips trailed down my neck, so I tipped my head to give him more access.

He surprised me when he dipped enough to grab my other thigh and lifted me off the floor. I wrapped my legs around his waist and he pulled my mouth back to his. His kiss was intoxicating, and he used everything he had. Lips, tongue, teeth. He bit my lower lip until I moaned, then sucked it into his mouth to soothe the sting. He held me captive and, for once, I wanted to surrender.

At least, I did until I felt him pull the strap on my thigh that held my knife. He unfastened it and tucked it into his back pocket. I jerked away from him, breathing heavily, and a smug grin melted over his face. I shoved him hard, letting my legs drop, but I only managed to move him a few inches from me. It was better than nothing.

“You’re an asshole.”

“Why? You seemed to like it.”

I scowled and shoved past him, checking my makeup in the mirror and ignoring him as he pressed himself against my back.

“Want to know a secret?”

“No. Get off me.”

He chuckled, and I was momentarily distracted by the relaxed smile on his face. Why did he have to be that good looking?

“That wasn’t why I came in here.”

I frowned and locked eyes with him in the mirror. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I watched the entire male population of the restaurant watch you walk away, and it pissed me off. Disarming you was just an added bonus.”

I pushed him away so I could face him without him being all over me again. I didn’t trust myself. I squinted at him. “So you’re saying you were jealous? Why?”

He bared his teeth, irritation crossing over his face. “Because you’re mine.”

My eyebrows flew up and my head jerked back. He scowled. He looked like he hadn’t wanted to say that. He made an irritated sound and spun towards the door. A slow grin spread across my face, and it only seemed to piss him off more when he glanced back at me.

“Let’s go. I’m not letting you walk out there by yourself.”

I pursed my lips and tried to hide my grin. Right as I slid past him out the door, he grabbed me by my hips and yanked me up against him. His breath tickled my ear as he whispered to me.

“Be careful, Nicole. Keep riling me up like this and I won’t be able to stop myself next time.”

A shiver rolled through me. I was more than a little interested, which was fucking annoying. This was why he wanted a damn week. He was seducing me!

The whole walk back to the table, he kept me close, glaring at everyone who looked our way. It was a possessive hold, and it made me want to throw things at him. Only once we were in the line of view of Marino did I smooth out my features and put my emotions on the back burner like I did when I was a kid trying to please my papa. I’d just plan how I’d murder Leo in my head while they talked business. It wasn't like they wanted a woman’s opinion anyway. We were just arm candy.

“You missed it, Vitale. The piece of shit waiter tried to bring us a ‘74. About shot the boy myself. No wonder he’s working a job like this. Brainless, the lot of them.”

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