Mafia Obsession

Jasmine

Talk about an epic fail attempt at escaping. If I wasn’t so scared, I’d probably be embarrassed about how pathetic and useless I am.

I stand in the center of the room, trembling. The worst thing happened. Kane Romano caught me trying to escape, and I’m certain he has no idea about the cash I stole wedged in my bra right now. Somehow, I’ve got to get it back as there’s no way he will turn a blind eye to that.

Kane hasn’t said a word since he got me back into his room. When he climbed up to get me down, he held me so tightly, as if he was scared I’d disappear-it wasn’t what I expected. Now, he’s sitting quietly on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. The silence is worse than if he were shouting at me. I have no idea what to expect.

He shifts, making me flinch as he stands and walks toward his clothes on the chair in the corner. My heart sinks as he goes straight for the pocket with his wallet. All I can do is stand there and wait for him to discover what I’ve done. He flips open the wallet and sighs deeply. “You stole from me.”

I can’t say anything. All I do is stare at the ground, waiting for him to punish me. I’m only eighteen, I never expected my life to end this early. He walks toward me and my whole body is tense and shaking. I’m ready for whatever he will throw at me, waiting for the pain. Instead, he cups my chin in his hand and gently moves my face to meet his gaze.

There’s no anger in his eyes only a deep disappointment and sadness that stuns me. “Where is the money?” he asks softly, caressing my chin with his fingers.

My eyes drop to my cleavage and he doesn’t need me to say. He growls gently, eyes fixed to my breasts, as he lets go of my chin and slowly eases his fingers into my bra, teasing my nipple as he searches for the wad of cash. My thighs clench at his touch, and I bite my lip to stifle a moan attempting to escape.

“The other cup,” I rasp out.

There’s a heat in his dark eyes that makes my pulse speed up. How can this man scare me and turn me on all at the same time?

His fingers ease into the other cup, brushing purposely against my hardened nipple, making it stiffen more. He takes his time slowly pulling the money from the cup and then throws it on top of his jacket on the chair. Silence follows and I’m not sure whether I’m excited or scared as I stare at him, waiting to see what he does next.

The electric tension pulsing through the air steals the breath from my lungs as suddenly he comes at me. His lips crashing down on mine as he hoists me into his arms, forcing me to cling onto him. My heart rate spikes as his tongue flicks across my lips, seeking entrance.

Although I know the monster this man is, the moment his lips are against mine all reasoning is gone. My lips part to let him in and he kisses me hard. His tongue searching my mouth like a man possessed-starving for me.

I moan into it, as he sucks on my tongue, making the ache pulse between my thighs. My panties are wet, and I can feel them dampening more as his fingers press into my ass cheeks possessively.

He pulls me closer into him, making me reach out for his hard, solid chest. He is pure muscle beneath my palms, and I groan as his thick erection presses into my lower abdomen, making me more desperate for him.

He pulls away, and it is all it takes to snap me back to reality. What the hell am I doing?

“Jasmine, you need to understand that I’d never do anything to hurt you.”

I gaze up at him, hearing the softness in his voice. “I stole from you, though. No one steals from the Romano family and gets away with it.”

There’s a flash of something in his eyes. “No one needs to know about this. It will be between the two of us, okay?”

I nod slowly, wondering why he’d give me a pass on this. He takes my hands in his and leads me to the edge of the bed, forcing me to sit. “Jasmine, I don’t tell anyone this, but I’m going to trust you.” He brushes a hair from my face and tucks it behind my ear. “We do what we have to do because we have enemies everywhere. Many people want to bring down the Romano Mafia, and we remain strong by keeping up appearances.” He shifts slightly, gazing into my eyes more intensely. “The man you know in this room is the real Kane Romano. Outside of this room, I have to keep up the brutal persona that everyone has heard of. It’s what keeps us safe and in power.”

I bite my lip and gaze down at my lap, remembering the pleas of the poor men Rick shot earlier. They are murderers. How can I be okay with that? It’s not something you accept just because you’re attracted to a guy.

“What you do is wrong,” I mutter.

To my surprise, he nods. “I know. I’ve always known.” He pauses a moment. “Unfortunately, my father didn’t offer me a choice. I was in this whether or not I liked it, and believe me I tried to fight.”

“Couldn’t you have run away?”

He shakes his head. “It would have been pointless. The mob has eyes everywhere.” A small smile plays at his lips. “I’m curious where you were heading that you thought I wouldn’t find you?”

I feel my cheeks heat and wonder if my plan was ridiculous. “The west coast…I figured-”

“You figured since we run the east coast I wouldn’t find you.” He shakes his head. “You’ve got a lot to learn about this world. We’ve got people all over North America.”

“I don’t want to learn about this world… I want nothing to do with it.” His chest hitches as if I’ve hurt him, but it’s the truth. This isn’t a life

I’d ever choose willingly. I’m kept here by force and that’s the only reason I’m here.

Kane sighs heavily, rubbing the back of his neck. “Fair enough.” He stands and walks toward the chair in the corner, grabbing the wad of cash. He returns and places the money in my lap. “I won’t hold you here against your will any longer.”

My eyes widen, and I stare down at the cash in shock. “Are you letting me go?”

There’s a deep sadness in his eyes as he nods. “What good is it keeping you somewhere you don’t want to be?” He turns his back on me and walks toward the window, gazing out of it. “Where will you go?”

I think on it for a moment and come up blank. The fact is I want nothing to do with Alex, not after what he pulled. The man is an asshole. Ethan might help me out for a short while. I’m sure he’d let me crash at his place for a few nights.

“A friend’s place.”

His back tenses and he turns to face me. “What friend?” My eyes narrow. “Why do you need to know?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t… I just don’t want you to get hurt, Jasmine.”

There’s sincerity in his voice, and it makes my chest ache and my breath catch in my throat. This man I called a monster really doesn’t act like one at all. He’s letting me go which is the last thing I expected. “Don’t worry, he would never hurt me.”

There’s a flash in his eyes when I reveal that it is a man. His jaw clenches and his fists ball, but he nods in response. “I’ll call you a cab.” I watch him as he walks away, leaving me staring after him.

There’s a strange twisting in my stomach, as I watch the man I’d longed for the past week. It has been a week since Kane took me from my step- dad’s club, but it feels like a lifetime. I enjoy the safeness I feel when I wrapped in his arms, but I can’t stay here.

He returns, barely looking me in the eye. “Cab has been called. You can wait down in the hallway for it, if you would like.”

I swallow hard, deciding that’s the best idea. If I stay up here with him, I might change my mind about leaving him at all. Without a word, I walk toward him and rise up onto my tip toes.

My lips meet his in a soft and tender kiss goodbye, making my chest ache. When we part, I whisper, “Thank you, Kane.” Then I turn and leave his room, not daring to look back at him. It’s hard to leave him, even if he is a monster.

My heart is pounding, as I shut the door behind me and rest my back against it. I’m not sure what my life will look like now that I can’t rely on my step-dad anymore, but no matter how much my body craves Kane, his world isn’t one I belong to.

I dig my phone out of my pocket and fire off a text to Ethan, as I head down into the hallway to wait for my cab. Two security guards give me an odd look. My phone buzzes and my stomach twist the moment I read the text.

Ethan: Sorry, I’m out of town until next week. Call me when I’m back and I’ll help. I promise.

Shit.

I forgot Ethan is away for the week, visiting his family in Canada. Suddenly, I feel helpless and pathetic. The only person I could have relied on to help me is away. My step-dad is dead to me, and the last thing I’d do is go back to him.

Where the hell am I supposed to go?

My fingers feel for the wedge of cash Kane gave me. I could book into a hotel, but I don’t feel like being on my own right now. There’s a strange part of me that wants to march back up those stairs and tell Kane I’ve got nowhere to go.

Would he let me stay here?