| Mafia 101

𝐕𝐀𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐀

    "Oh, my God!" I groaned in frustration. "You are the most stubborn, hot-headed guy I have ever met." 

    "Compared to who?" 

    "What?" I couldn't believe this guy.

    James rubbed his jaw. "You said I'm the most stubborn, hot-headed—" 

    "I know what I said, goddammit." I just couldn't fathom why this man got to me so badly.

    "So, who are you comparing me to when you say that?" 

    "Jesus. What does it matter?"  

    "Vanessa?" James kept his gaze locked on mine, his smothering orbs boring into mine.

    "What?"  I groaned and he arched a brow.

    "Why are you acting so crazy right now?" 

    "I'm acting crazy? You are the one asking me crazy questions!" I pulled my palm down my face. 

    And then the corners of James' mouth began to slowly creep up into a smug grin. The darkness in his eyes disappeared, replaced with an impish glint as he stared at me. It was like he just realized he knew something I didn't. 

    "Can I get you a drink?" He was still smiling, and all my focus was drawn to his mouth, full lips making me wonder what they would taste like. How they would feel pressed hard against mine. What was I thinking? A few minutes ago, we were in the middle of a situation which could have ended in mayhem and bloodshed. Yet here I was, thinking about how it would feel to have James' tongue down my throat. Nice.

    A voice came from behind me. "Vanessa." 

    Fuck. 

    I turned slowly, knowing there were two very protective and probably very angry Italian men waiting for me to explain what the hell just happened.  

    "Antonio," I started, but he held up his hand, silencing me like a damn child.  

    "Get your stuff. We're leaving. Now." He turned and stomped off. 

    Daniel glanced over my shoulder at James then his gaze settled back on me. "A cop?" 

    I shook my head. "It's not what you think, Daniel." 

    "What am I thinking, Vanessa, huh?" 

    "Enzo was being an asshole. James was just—" 

    "Just what? Acting like the jealous boyfriend?" 

    "No. Of course not."  

    "It sure fucking looked that way." 

    The second James stepped up behind me, I felt him. All my senses tuned in to him, and my entire body reacted. My fingers craved to touch him. My skin hungered to be touched by him. And my thighs longed to be wrapped around his waist while my body welcomed him inside. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to get my racing hormones under control. It wasn't exactly the right time for me to be horny. 

    "Listen, man," James started, but I spun around and held up my hand. 

    "Just…please. Leave it alone, okay? You've done enough." I didn't look at him. I didn't even breathe because I was too afraid my body would betray me by showing exactly how he affected me. His scent, his presence, those damn eyes—it all teamed up in a bid to lure me in like a damn fish on a hook. It was embarrassing to have a man affect me like this so damn easily. 

    He didn't say a word—thank God—so I turned and stomped past Daniel, heading up the stairs to get my stuff as per instruction by my control freak brother.  

    This night got sucked into a big black hole of giant fuck-ups. I should have listened to my instincts and stayed at home. And I needed to stay away from Detective Gunner—far away.

*****

𝐉𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐒

That certainly went well. Not. This entire night did not go according to plan. I planned to sit at the far end of the bar and quietly observe the Bolognas. All I wanted was to try to get a new piece to the puzzle of what the fuck was happening in this town. 

    Ending up watching Vanessa—and only her—for the bulk of the evening was not part of the plan. And neither was talking to her or almost kissing her in the middle of a damn nightclub filled with hundreds of people. But I couldn't help myself. She demanded all my attention the second she walked through those goddamn doors.  

    There was something about her that made me want to be close to her. And that something left me no choice but to approach her. The moment I was near her, feeling her breath on my skin, I fell under her spell.  

    And her scent? Dear Lord, that sweet smell of cinnamon and vanilla made me crave to taste her. Fuck a nibble, and fuck just a sample of her full lips and sensual body, I wanted to completely devour her until there was nothing left. All I could think about when I stared into her dark eyes was how badly I wanted to take everything she had to offer and make it mine by marking her, by fucking her until my name was engraved into her goddamn soul. And something told me that was exactly what she wanted too—to be claimed. Until that jackass, Enzo decided to show his ugly face. 

    What I didn't plan on doing was shoving Enzo Morello's face into a damn wall. But the son of a bitch pressed all the wrong damn buttons. And what got to me was seeing the effect his asshole attitude had on Vanessa. It was clear as fucking daylight every word that came out of Enzo's mouth rattled her, and for that reason alone I wanted to tear the fucker apart.  

    The question was, why would I feel the need to do that? Why did it bother me so much that Vanessa seemed to have a history with Enzo? Something happened between them. It didn't take a detective's intuition to figure that one out. But whatever happened caused some pretty deep scars for Vanessa, that was for sure. 

    And because I had to act all chivalrous like a knight in shining fucking armour, I managed to get my ass right in the middle of this mess. A cop associated with his mafia target's daughter might as well walk around with a big, red flashing sign over his head saying, "Here I am. Kick my ass, fuckers." 

    And why the hell had she acted that way? Like I was the one who did something to piss her off?  

    "Fuck!" I almost knocked a tray of shooters out of a waitress's hands. "Shit, sorry," I groaned and helped steady her, ignoring the stare of death she shot me. 

    My sweeping gaze found Vanessa on the top floor. Antonio and Daniel were already descending the stairs, and it was painfully obvious Antonio was extremely pissed off. And why wouldn't he be? The first thing you learned in Mafia 101 was never to fraternize with the enemy, which in this case was Enzo Morello. And then there was that shitty rule of not having any kind of relations with a cop, and after what went down, I was pretty sure Antonio and Daniel were under the impression something was going on between me and Vanessa. Which there wasn't…was there?