Arranged Mafia Marriage

I glance up to find her staring at me. Her golden-brown eyes seem to burn with unsaid emotions. “Whiskey,” I murmur, then clear my throat, “it’s like drowning in whiskey.”

“What?” She frowns.

“Your eyes”-I quirk my lips-“they are whiskey-colored, and your mouth”-I lower my gaze to her lips-“like a red rosebud in half-bloom.”

“Are you feeling unwell? Do you have a fever?” She reaches over to place her palm on my forehead. “Are you still in pain?”

“No.” I shake my head. “I mean it, you know. You are beautiful, Aurora.”

“Stop it.” Her blush deepens. “How are you feeling now?”

“I’ll live.” I try to sit up, then wince when my chest hurts. “How did I get here?”

“I used your phone to call Michael.”

“Ah,” I hold her gaze, “so you found the phone?”

“Why didn’t you tell me that you had one? Why did you tell me that there was no way of calling the others?”

“Because I wanted to spend time with you. Alone.”

“So, you lied to me?”

“No…” I shake my head. “It’s you who lied to me. Who is he, Aurora? Who is the man who shot me?”

“I… I can’t tell you.” She glances away.

“A former lover, maybe? Someone you care for?”

“No,” she shakes her head, “far from it. I don’t really know him at all.”

“Another lie?” I growl.NôvelDrama.Org © content.

“I’m not lying.” She tugs on her hand, and this time, I loosen my grip. She places her hands in her lap. “I really don’t know him, Christian. Every time I’ve met him, he’s worn a mask that covers the lower half of his face.”

“So, you’ve met him more than once?”

“I’m not getting into this with you.” She jumps up and begins to pace. “You’re feeling better; you’re going to be okay. My work here is done.” She wheels around and heads for the exit.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Out of here, away from you; you’re fine now. And clearly, after what happened, you don’t want anything to do with me, so…”

“You’re not going anywhere.”

“Says who?” She scowls at me over her shoulder.

I glare back at her, and she throws up her hands.

“Look, it’s my fault you got shot, okay? I am truly sorry, but after what happened, I think it’s best we stop pretending about whatever there is between us.”

“Are you pretending, Flower, because I am not.”

She pauses, then shakes her head. “We can’t go on like this, Christian, we can’t. I don’t know what you want from me.”

“What I want from you is to stick to the terms of our agreement.”

She blinks. “You mean, after everything that happened, you still want to go ahead with the fake marriage.”

“Especially because of what happened. And considering I got shot in the process, the least you can do is see through your part of the bargain, then set me free, so I can live life the way I want.”

“Which is footloose and fancy-free and bedding as many women as you want?” She sets her jaw.

“If that’s what I want. Although, as long as we are fake married, I’ll be more discreet about who else I’m sleeping with.”

“So, during the time we are fake married, you still get to sleep with others, as long as you are not caught, but I don’t get to see anyone else?”

“Exactly.”

Her face reddens, and this time, it’s not with embarrassment. Oh, she’s pissed all right, and fuck, if that doesn’t turn me on.

“You know what, you can stuff your goddamn arrangement up your arse.”

“Don’t forget, it’s not just you but your family’s lives which are at risk.”

“I’d like to see you come near them,” she snarls.

“I’d like to see you stop me.”

She balls her fists at her sides, draws in a breath, then another. “I am not going to let you get away with bullying me this time.” She unclenches her fingers one by one, then draws herself up to her full height. “I’m leaving, Christian, and I don’t care what you do next.”

She spins around, marches over to the door of the hospital room, and opens it. She attempts to step out, but Antonio blocks her path.

“Let me go,” she demands. He glances at me, and I shake my head.

“I’m sorry, Aurora, I can’t,” Antonio says gently. Good. If he’d been impolite to her, I’d not have hesitated to shoot him.

She turns around and stares at me. “If you think you can force me to stay, you’re wrong.”

“I am not forcing you to stay; I am just not letting you leave.”

She squeezes her eyes shut, draws in a breath, then stomps back to the chair and sinks into it. “Fine, you are not going to let me leave. I get it.”

“Do you?” I rake my gaze over her features. “Do you really understand what a precarious position you’re in?”

She folds her arms across her chest, but doesn’t reply.

“If you were to leave right now, Michael would hunt you down and kill you. The only reason you are still alive is because you are here and under my protection.”

“Do you expect me to be grateful for being held prisoner?”

“I expect you to come clean on why you felt it necessary to crawl out of the bed where I had made love to you not hours ago and walk through the biting cold for a tryst with a man who would have killed you if I hadn’t come upon you.”

“I … I … don’t expect you to understand.”

“Try me, Flower.”

She bites down on her lower lip, and despite the fact that I’m sedated and woozy, my cock stirs. Apparently, not even being shot at and almost dying-okay, I exaggerate; I didn’t almost die, though I did feel close to it-will stop my body from reacting to her presence.

“Go on,” I prompt, “tell me what’s on your mind.

“I … ah-”

The door opens abruptly, and Michael walks in. He’s followed by Sebastian, Luca, and Adrian. Massimo brings up the rear. Fantastico, just what I need to top off a really shitty day.

Michael strolls over to the only other chair in the room and drops into it. Seb and Luca stalk over to stand on either side of the foot of the bed. Massimo props himself up against the wall by the door; he plants his hands in his pockets and surveys the room. Adrian strolls over to stand by the window.

I take in their relaxed stances, but am not fooled. Assholes are here for an intervention, that’s for sure. The silence stretches a beat, then another. Aurora squirms around in the chair. Suddenly, as if she’s not able to take it any longer, she jumps up to her feet. “I … I think I need a breath of fresh air.

She walks toward the door when Michael’s voice rings out. “Sit down, Doctor.”

She reaches the door and stretches her arm out toward the handle. “Flower,” I order, “come and sit down, please.” Yeah, I add the please because I know exactly what buttons to push to get her to comply. I’m an asshole that way. And whether I mean it or not… Well, that doesn’t really matter, does it?

Aurora pauses, her shoulders shudder as she draws in a breath, then she spins around. Her gaze clashes with mine. I jerk my chin toward her chair. She scowls, and I glare at her. She pales, then tips her chin up. She flounces over to her chair and plops into it. She glowers back at me, and my lips twitch.

Damn, the woman is sexy when she’s angry. Hell, she’s sexy any way. But when she’s angry, her color rises, her eyes turn a darker gold, and I can’t wait to throw her down and have hate sex with her.

Michael shifts in his chair. “If you two have had enough of eye-fucking each other, then perhaps we can get to the bottom of what really happened earlier?”