Mafia's Final Play (Mafia's Obsession #3) - Summer Cooper Page 0,55

Anton would call in the morning and arrange a plane for later tomorrow night; he hadn’t told her yet. He wanted to make sure she was calm, that she wasn’t a mess because that tremor in her other hand had all but wrecked them both.

She’d put a smile on her face after she’d cried herself out and he’d taken her into the living room. She’d put her head in his lap and fallen asleep. It had been one of the sweetest moments of his life, stroking her hair as she slept peacefully, at last. He hadn’t wanted to move and wake her, so he watched some sappy romantic comedy that came on the television, with the closed captioning on to keep quiet. It was a trick he’d learned from her. One of the many things he’d learned from her.

He loved her, he loved her more than anything else on this planet, and nothing would ever change that. He just wished he could tell her. He’d almost told her a dozen times, maybe a thousand times, but something always held it back. It sounded like Celeste’s voice, that something, telling him not to be so fucking weak. Only the poor were weak, according to her.

From what he’d seen, it was the poor that were the toughest of all; those that were rich had it easy. He’d been the spoiled nephew of a mafia queen his entire life, but that didn’t mean he’d been protected from the worst things people could do to each other. He’d watched as men were beaten for information, he’d seen the things his aunt had ordered, so much worse than anything he’d ever ordered. Although, he’d done his fair share of dirty deeds, things he’d never tell Marie about.

Things he tried not to think about.

“What are you thinking about?” The sweet sound of her soft voice broke into his thoughts and he turned his head towards her.

They’d made a pallet on the floor, in front of the fire, with pillows for their heads, and a bottle of wine to ease their thirst.

He squinted into the orange flames for a moment, the heat cast off by the burning wood a nice warmth that wasn’t too hot. He rolled over, tucked his left arm behind his head, and stared up at the bare beams of the ceiling. “You.”

“Me? But you were frowning.” She sat up and looked down at him. “What have I done?”

“You haven’t done anything.” He looked up at her brown eyes, a shade he’d come to love, and smile. “Not yet anyway.”

He sat up and pulled her down to tickle her ribs. She laughed loudly and tried to get away, but he held her down with a kiss that soon turned her quiet, except for a gasp here and there. Then she moaned and that sound went straight through him. “Fuck, I can’t believe how much I need you, Marie.”

“Crazy isn’t it? Aren’t we supposed to be sick of each other by now, and getting on with life?” She smiled up at him, now on her back.

“It is. I never thought I’d have anything like this. I never dared dream I would find someone to, ahem, someone like you. I didn’t know you were down there in the bayou waiting on me, though.”

“I was, even if I didn’t know it. But my momma did tell me to stay away from Mafia boys, that you were all the same.” She pushed a lock of hair behind his ear and sighed happily. “I’m so glad I ignored her.”

“Are you? Even with my crazy aunt?” He hadn’t necessarily meant to bring the woman up again, but he did wonder.

“Even with your crazy aunt.” She looped her arms behind his head and pushed her chin up a little. “Maybe even because of your crazy aunt. She made you who you are, but despite all of that, you’re still your own man. Aunt or not.”

“What do you mean?” A peck on the nose accompanied the question.

“You are a strong, independent, fiercely loyal man, Matteo. You’re a good man. You’ve lived your life, and you’ve come to a point where you know what you want from the rest of your life. Instead of throwing that away, you’re choosing to live for yourself now. Not anyone else. Except for me, maybe.” The brightness of her smile made her eyes shine and he couldn’t help but love her a little more.

He pulled the blankets back up over them and pulled her close to his