Page 23 of Owned By the Mafia

“We can’t be together. We’re the muscle behind the families. The men will see it as a betrayal.” She strokes my face gently and kisses me softly.

I smile into the kiss, but she pushes against me again, and I release her. As she turns, I capture her hand and hold it. “We don’t have to do anything. Just come sleep beside me, and I’ll protect you throughout the night.”

She looks at me, and I can see she’s torn between what she wants and her duty, but she relaxes slightly and follows me into her room. We strip down and give her an oversized t-shirt to sleep in. Once in bed, I spoon her and softly stroke the top of her arm, cuddling against her.

She rests against me, and I feel her heart beating softly. We’re connected as one at this moment, as we should be, because we belong together. I wish I could help her see that what we have is profound, unique, and greater than any regular love that everyone finds themselves in.

I watch as she dozes off, and as promised, I don’t do anything other than hold her while I’m acutely aware of the hard butt of the gun pressing against my head from underneath my pillow.

If anyone comes near her, I’ll fucking destroy them. No one will hurt her; she’s mine. She belongs to me, and I will never let her go.

Chapter 12 - Dinara

I can feel the warmth of his body pressed against mine. Did he move an inch at any point during the night? His arm is loosely thrown around my hip, holding me against him. I can feel his morning wood, and it’s almost tempting to tease him. I give myself a mental shake, though, because I need to focus. He is a distraction, a wonderful and sexy distraction, that I would love to constantly have fucking the shit out of me, but I have duties to perform, and we do not belong together. No matter how romantic the notion may seem.

I slip out of his grasp and get up, getting dressed slowly. Away from his grasp, I realize how safe I felt when he was holding me. I wish we could stay like that forever, but it’s not going to happen. We aren’t the leaders of the family, only the soldiers. At least I’m not a leader, and I won’t be considered good enough for someone with a stake in inheriting the Quinn family after his brothers.

As I’m slipping into my pants, I hear rustling in the bed and glance over my shoulder to see Robbie slowly sitting up and rubbing his eyes. “Come back to bed, Dina. It’s warmer.”

His sleepy logic is sweet, and then I look toward the window. It’s as though I’ve been living through a stupidity fog the last few days, and I scoop up his shirt tossing it at him. “Get up and get dressed.”

“What’s happened?” He’s alert now because of the change in my demeanor, and I start to run my fingers through my hair before I tie it up in a messy bun.

“The Irish have been attacked, the Russians have been attacked… The Italians will be their next target, and we need to get there first and figure out who's doing this before it happens.” I hurry to the bathroom to freshen up as best I can.

Robbie appears behind me. “What’s your plan?”

“I’m going straight to Alessandro. I need you to try and account for everyone’s whereabouts.”

“I can do that with Aiden’s help,” he says.

I turn and kiss him on the lips before I look deep into those blue eyes. “Be safe, or I’ll fucking kill you.”

“What about you?” he asks, watching me cross the room. I take the gun from under his pillow and put it in the back of the band of my pants. “I don’t intend to die today, Robbie. Trust me.”

He smiles, and I can feel his eyes on me as I walk toward the door. He calls, “Hanging up at the door are keys to my Mustang. She’ll get you there fast enough. She’s parked just outside.”

I grab the keys without a word and walk out, keeping an eye out for anyone looking suspicious. Nothing happens as I go to the Mustang, and soon, I’m practically flying toward Alessandro’s estate. The guards approach me when they don’t recognize the car, so I roll down the window. Once they’ve established it’s me, they search the vehicle before they let me in.

I park to the side of the house and walk straight toward it. I need to speak to Katya and Alessandro immediately.

“Dinara,” Dominic calls as he comes downstairs, “what are you doing here?”

“I need to see Alessandro immediately. It’s urgent.”

Dominic raises an eyebrow. “Are you armed?” he asks.

I frown, “Yes, I am. I’m happy to leave the weapon here. In case you forgot, Dominic, I work for this family.”

“Or the Irish,” he comments, holding his hand out.

I narrow my eyes and put the gun in his hand. “Get the notion out of your head. I am firm in my loyalties.”

Dominic nods toward Alessandro’s office. “Is that why you stayed at Quinn’s last night?”

“You’re having me followed? So you know my house was burnt to the ground.” I tilt my head. “And Robert Quinn was just protecting me. Lord help us, the Irish do what we pay them to do.”

I walk past him as he mutters an apology, but I ignore him and walk into Alessandro’s office.

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