Page 16 of Marrying the Underboss

Why does he have to be so freaking confusing? What does that even mean? I’m not his wife, I’m not even his girlfriend. At most, I’m his boss’ daughter that he got a little too close to this morning. Whatever we are or this is, it’s too much. “Goodnight Kane,” I sigh.

Kane places an open-mouthed kiss at the nape of my neck. “Goodnight, Angel.”

The way his lips and tongue dance across my skin make me even more confused. I swear he’s trying to make me go crazy. He’s hot and cold and all over the map. Does he want me, or is he just taking advantage of the situation? Whatever it is, I’m tiredof being used. I choose to ignore my racing heart and his warm body pressed against mine and go to sleep.

Chapter Ten

KANE

I’m a bastard.

I know she's pissed at me, but I don't fucking care. I should have told her about the ring instead of putting it on her finger without warning, but I don't ask for what I want. I take it. If she's going to be with me, she’ll have to realize that's who I am. I'm a hard man whose loyalty knows no bounds.

When I walked into the bathroom and saw my ring in the soap dish, it took everything inside of me to stop myself from rampaging through that hotel room, shoving the ring back on her finger, and spanking her ass red.

I've known her for ten years and wanted her for just as long. I’ve had that ring since she was eighteen years old, hoping one day she’d wear it with pride. Now that I've had her in my bed, tasted her, she's mine and always will be. She’s owned my heart for years, now I own her, body and soul.

Seeing my ring in that soap dish did something to me. Made me a little more feral than I already was. I'm done playing, done holding back my desires for this woman. She's going to realize that she's mine whether she wants to or not. I won't force her to be with me, but I won't have to. My angel wants me just as bad,I can see it in the way she looks at me and how she responds to my touch.

As soon as I walked out of the bathroom and saw her sleeping on the couch I knew it was time to show her who’s boss. I'm the Underboss of her dad’s organization for a reason.

I don’t think she realizes how much she needs me. Whether she knows it or not, she wants someone to take care of her. Someone she can depend on and trust. I will be that man for her and so much more. When she felt my ring and rubbed her fingers around it I almost came in my boxers. When I put that ring on my finger tonight, I committed my life to her knowing she’s the only woman I’ll ever love. I’ll do whatever I have to do to make her mine, even if I have to play dirty to keep her.

As soon as her body relaxes and I hear her snoring softly I slide my ring back on her finger. Tomorrow will go differently. Tomorrow I’ll tell her what it means to wear these rings. Tonight I’ll sleep with my love in my arms.

I wakeup the next morning and find her missing from bed. I’m about to go all caveman and hunt her ass down when I hear the shower turn on in the bathroom. Thank Christ. What I don’t expect is to hear her start singing. The tune is sad and something I can’t place, but it makes me ache for her. She pours the anguish and pain into the words she sings. I can’t help but take some responsibility for whatever she’s going through in there. Maybe I was too rough with her yesterday. I love hearing her sing, even if it’s full of heartache. It’s too long since I’ve heard her sing. Maybe since before Marino came into the picture. She used to sing all the time before him.

After about fifteen minutes she walks out of the bathroom wearing the outfit I had packed for her. The fire I saw last night is gone and in its place is resignation. I fucked up and need to figure out how to make this right.

“Good morning,” I try.

She smiles but goes about her business, effectively ignoring me.

“I’m going to take a shower. Then we’ll be on the way. I hope to get there tonight.”

She nods her head but says nothing else. Fuck. I can take her fire, but I don’t know how to take her silence.

When I walk out of the bathroom, the bed is made, and all of our things are at the bottom of the bed gathered together so we can leave. She’s sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee she must have gotten from downstairs. I hate that she left without telling me, but at least she came back. That’s something.

I even spot a cup of black coffee in one of those travel mugs. “For me?” She nods but gives me nothing else.

By the time we’ve checked out of the hotel, I’m feeling the silent treatment, driving me crazy. We get on the road and have been driving for about an hour when I’ve had all I can take. “Please talk to me.”

She turns and looks at me for what feels like the first time this morning. “Why is this ring on my finger?” She asks, holding it up for me to see.

“Because that’s where it belongs.”

“Stop playing around, Kane. I don’t think it’s funny. It’s quite cruel, actually, knowing I just broke off my engagement with Jacob.”

“I hate to break it to you, Angel, but that wasn’t an engagement. I don’t know what it was, but he never intended on marrying you.”

She frowns and I hate that I’ve hurt her, again. “How do you know that?”

“Because a man with any ounce of sense wouldn’t have waited years to claim you and make you theirs. They would have staked their claim and made you theirs as soon as they possibly could.”

She leans her head against the window and stares out of it silently. “That didn’t answer my question.”

“No, I guess it didn’t.” I pull over on the side of the road. I shouldn’t stop, but we need to talk.

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