Page 17 of Marrying the Underboss

“What are you doing?”

When I turn the vehicle off, I turn in my seat to face her. She stares at me, waiting for whatever I’m about to say. Hell, I don’t even know what I’m going to say. I hadn’t planned on talking this shit out. “When you came walking into your dad’s office all those years ago wearing those short as fuck pajamas with little sheep on them, I was hooked. I knew Perrelli had a daughter, but I wasn’t expecting you to be so… You were, you are everything Jennifer. You were too young for me back then, I was too fucked up, and your dad was my boss. I couldn’t act on how I felt.”

“But now?”

I shake my head and stare off into the distance. “Marino never deserved you, but I thought you were happy with him. I stayed away, trying to do the right thing. But I was wrong. You could have never been happy with that trash. Not only did he use you, but he also didn’t know the treasure he had. I do. I know how special you are, and not because of who your dad is. You're all that is sweet and kind in this world. You're smart as a whip and funny as hell. You don’t back down and give as good as you get. I don’t deserve you, but I know I’m the only man who will give you everything you could ever want and need. The only man who will love you the way you need to be loved. I let someone have you before, I’m not doing it again.”

“What does this ring mean, Kane?”

“We’re getting married. You’re going to be my wife.”

“You didn’t ask me.”

I shake my head. “No. I’m not going to either. You’re mine, Jennifer.”

“You can’t just order me to marry you, Kane. I have a choice in this.”

“Do you really want to keep fighting this? When we both know how it's going to end?”

“Tell me, wise one, how’s it going to end?”

“With you riding my cock and screaming my name. My name, not anyone else's. I’m the only one who can make you feel this way. You know it, and so do I. So why fight the inevitable?”

“Because this isn’t what I fucking want!” She shouts.

I snort. “Stop lying to yourself. Look me in the eyes and tell me I’m not the man you want to be with.”

“You’re not!” She glowers at me. Unbuckling her seatbelt, she gets out of the SUV, slamming the door behind her.

I get out and walk around to find her leaning her head against the side of the SUV. “I want to go home. I want to go back to my normal life with my class, and my students, and my little apartment that isn’t mine anymore. I want Friday dinners with my dad.”

“I can give you that.”

She looks over at me and shakes her head. “No, Kane. You can’t. You live in my dad’s world, the side I don’t see often. You’re the darkness and depravity he needs to keep his organization running. What life could we have when you’re out doing God knows what at all hours of the day?”

“I’ll take care of you. You’ll never want for anything.”

“You’ll either come home and act like nothing happened, or worse, you’ll bring it all home with you. I won’t live like that. Iwant light and happiness. I want a life where a child’s mother isn’t stolen away because of the evil in this world.”

“I’d never let that happen to you. You’d be protected above all else.”

“I won’t deny that I care about you Kane. You are the man I’ve dreamt of for years. But that’s just it, you were a dream, not reality. We don’t make sense in real life. So, let’s get to where we’re going. I’ll do what you tell me to, but when this is all over, I want us to return to the way things were before.”

She doesn’t wait for me to respond, she just opens her door and gets back into the SUV.

I’m the schmuck who stands there for a solid minute trying to figure out how to move on. I got caught up in the dream and stopped thinking about the mission at hand. I need to find the fucker who tried to kill me and figure out his plan. I need to keep Jennifer safe until I find him and put him in the ground. What happens later can be figured out then.

I get back into the SUV and drive. We don’t say another word to each other for the entire trip. When I stop for gas, I buy enough drinks and snacks for both of us. She eats and even reads one of the books I packed for her.

Hours later, when it’s pitch-black outside, I pull up to a ranch-style house on ten acres. I emailed the caretakers a couple of days ago, telling them to get the place ready for us. At least the place is ready and has groceries.

My angel has been sleeping for a while, so I gently shake her awake. “Jennifer, we’re here.”

“Hmmm?”

“We’ve made it. Come on, let’s get inside so you can sleep in a bed.”

“Okay,” she agrees sleepily.

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