Page 34 of Tempting My Mafia Monster

She was mine. To protect. To live for. To keep. I’d never wanted anything for myself ‌the way I wanted her.

I’d been trying to fight this thing between us for her sake, but the universe was reckless the moment it put her down here with me. I was never meant to touch something as beautiful as her. Beauty didn’t belong with the beast. Even in the fairytale I’d read as a child, he turned back into a prince. I’m not a prince, nor would I ever be. I’d stain her soul. I’d ruin her purity. A good man would let her go, not drag her into the flames of hell. But I wasn’t a good man.

And I’d rather damn us both than let her belong to anyone else.

Cry For Me

Cristo. The way he looked at me. It had me falling deeper and deeper into this toxic obsession. At this point, I knew that’s what it was. I’d never seen a man fight as he did. I’d never seen a man kill as if it were as easy as breathing. He took out those three men in a matter of seconds, all because they planned to hurt me. How was I supposed to stop myself from swooning?

When I saw him standing there, covered in their blood, I knew there was something wrong with my head because all I wanted to do was lick it off him like some ritualistic worship. It was one thing not to fear my brother after seeing what Santino was capable of, but this man was a different breed of killer. And not only did I not fear it, seeing it only made me want him more.

He’d fought his own demons to protect me from mine.

The door opened, and we both stood as Sean stepped two paces inside. Monster pulled me behind him, shielding me from view, and I pressed my forehead against his solid back and closed my eyes.

Not again.

Please.

Don’t take him from me again.

The tension mounted when no one spoke, and the men continued to glare. Just when I thought I couldn’t take it anymore, Sean broke the silence.

“I was at a meetin’. The O’Callis brothers didn’t have the authority to take her. Obviously, they wanted revenge for their cousin’s death, but the order didn’t come from me.”

Monster pushed his shoulders back, and for the first time, I heard him speak to Sean. “I don’t give a fuck. Anyone who tries to hurt her, threatens her or touches a hair on her head from this moment on will die at my hands. Make sure they all know it.”

“He finally speaks again! At long last,” Sean shouted, amused. “I think you made that clear enough. But… Monster…” I couldn’t see Sean, but I heard him lean against the door. “You forget she’s my hostage, not yours. I’ve let her amuse you, but I have many profitable options for her. I could swap her for my niece, marry her myself to force an alliance with the Del Brenta, or sell her virginity for a generous price. Unless you’ve fucked her now?”

Monster growled, his fists clenching at his sides. “Anyone who tries to take her from me,” he hissed, his tone so low that it couldn’t be taken as anything but gospel. “Even you.”

Sean chuckled. “Is that so? You’d risk it all to keep her for yourself?”

There was a pause and then… “Yes.”

“Hmm,” Sean sighed. I didn’t like where this was going. Sean was using me to manipulate him. “If I let you keep her and promise no one else will touch her… how would that benefit me?”

“I’ll do whatever you want.”

“You already do whatever I want.”

“No disobedience. I’ll obey. Every command.”

I started shaking my head against his back.

“I’ll consider it. We’ll do a trial run. See just how obedient you are,” Sean said, then turned and left the bunker. The door slammed, leaving us alone once again. Monster spun around, staring down at me as I shook my head.

“What have you done?” I whispered. “You shouldn’t have agreed to that. He’s using me to control you.”

“That’s nothing new. But it’s your protection,” he said, his black eyes searching my face.

I covered my eyes with one hand, unable to believe this was happening. He grabbed my jaw and lifted my chin, forcing me to drop my hand and look at him. A violent surge of relief and gratitude washed over me, not only because he’d just saved my life and sold his soul to the devil to keep me safe, but also because he was back. Whatever they’d done to him, taking him far beyond my reach, hadn’t been permanent.

Before I could consider the potential repercussions, I threw my arms around his waist, buried my face in his bare chest, and clung to him. He tensed, keeping his arms at his sides, but he didn’t push me away or fly into a violent rage.

“T-thank you,” I mumbled into his skin, breathing in his masculine scent. He smelt of smoke, blood and sweat. It should have been a disgusting mix, but it wasn’t. It was intoxicating. The manliest scent I’d ever encountered, and it made the ache between my legs tingle.

Slowly, he lifted his arms and wrapped them around my back. I buried my face in his chest, wanting to live beneath his skin, where I knew he’d keep me safe. After what felt like the longest hug in the world, he startled me by bending, grabbing my thighs and lifting me to his waist. My arms slid around his neck as he moved towards the bed and sat down, with me straddling his lap. Our faces were inches apart as we stared into each other’s souls, the messy world around us and all its problems falling away.