Page 61 of The Viper

I look to Alba then back to Marco. “And our guest?”

“Gone,” Marco replies.

Rosa appears in the kitchen dressed somewhat more appropriately in jeans and a light sweater. “Hi Marco.” She walks over to Alba and leans against the counter. “Good morning, Alba. What are you making?”

“Oh, Rose.” Alba stops kneading and lifts her hands to cup Rosa’s cheeks but lowers them considering they’re covered in bread dough. “Are you feeling better?”

Rosa looks to me in question. “Alba looked after you for a few hours while Marco and I worked.”

Realization crosses Rosa’s face, and a small smile appears. “I’m a lot better. Thank you for looking after me, Alba.” She looks at the dough on the counter. “Is that for bread? Or pizzas?”

“I’m making fresh bread to have with dinner tonight.”

Rosa places her hand to her stomach. “Yum. Thank you.” Her compliment causes Alba’s face to split into a large grin.

“Rosa,” I instruct and extend my elbow for her to take.

She walks over to me and laces her arm through mine. “Where are we going?”

“We’re going to see a business that was broken into last night.” I consider my words carefully. “Friends of the family.”

“Oh no.” Her brows draw in. “No one was hurt, were they?” Marco’s walking ahead of us and shakes his head. “That’s good.” Frank is waiting with the back door open. Once we’re in the car, we head toward the restaurant. “Exactly how many cars do you own, Dominic?”

“A few, why?”

“This is the third one I’ve seen.”

I smirk as I turn to look at her. “I have a few.”

Rosa’s face full of question. “Why do you have so many when you can only drive one at a time?”

I splay my hand on her thigh possessively, lean over and give her a small kiss to the cheek. “Because I can.”

Rosa snickers as she shakes her head. “Of course.”

“I’ll take you to the garage and show them to you.”

“I’d like that.” She places her hand over mine and gently squeezes.

Rose

“Oh, I’ve been here before,” I say as the car pulls up in front of Luciana’s. “Eliza and I love the Italian salad, and their mushroom risotto. Oh my God, it’s so good! Have you had it?”

Dominic extends his hand to assist me out of the car. “Yes,” he replies in a clipped tone. He closes the door, and pulls me back toward him. “Be a good girl and my mouth will fuck your pussy tonight.”

My mouth is instantly dry, but I do my best to gulp. Yeah, he’d better, he owes me an orgasm after this morning. “Deal,” I say in a small, strangled voice. Great, now all I’m going to be able to think about is his head between my thighs.

Marco walks ahead of us and opens the door to the restaurant, while Dominic places his hand to the small of my back and steers me inside.

My heart breaks when I see an older woman, maybe in her late sixties sitting on a chair near the back crying. An older man, who I suspect is her husband, is rubbing her back while standing beside her. “Dominic,” the man says with a definite Italian accent.

“Alonzo,” Dominic greets. “Luciana.” Both of them look at me, then back to Dominic. “This is Rosa, my soon-to-be wife.” His fucking what? When did this happen?

“Rosa,” Luciana says as she slowly stands, grasps my cheeks between her hands and gives me two kisses, one on each cheek. “You are beautiful.”

The tightness in my chest doesn’t allow me to say more than, “Thank you.” She releases my cheeks and sits again.

I hold my hand out to shake Alonzo’s, but he shakes his head and takes a small step back. Shit, what did I do? Dominic turns and whispers, “No man is allowed to touch you.”

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