Things are a little better after yesterday. Ari and I are closer after the moment we shared in the kitchen. It still confuses me—he—confuses me. I shouldn’t feel anything for him. I shouldn’t be able to stand him, but he makes it very difficult with his easy charm and outgoing personality. I expected charm from a mafia boss, but the gentleness? The kindness to me? Then, taking my revenge out on his socks and he wore them anyway? He has a sense of humor too.
It makes me hate him less and like him more.
I didn’t even sleep on the edge of the bed last night. I relaxed and enjoyed the wonderful comfort of the best mattress I’ve ever laid on, cuddled in the biggest, fluffiest comforter I have ever touched.
I’m still on my side. I’m a side sleeper no matter how much I try not to be, but this time, I’m closer to the middle of the bed.
The sun peeks through the curtains and I think about how much my life has changed in less than a week. I’ve lived a better life with Ari than I have…ever. It’s been amazing not working myself to the bone for no reason. It’s been amazing not having to worry about how the electricity will stay on. It’s even been nice not to worry about my parents.
And maybe that’s why I’m also so angry and unaccepting of Ari, of this house, of this newfound freedom I have because yes, it is freedom. I’m locked in a damn contract, but all the weight has been lifted off my shoulders.
I’m angry because I have all this, but my family doesn’t, and I feel guilty. They are still living in that shitty apartment. Is the water on? Do they have food? Who is doing the laundry? Do they have electricity? What if they are evicted and homeless and I have no way of finding them?
Ari’s lips on my shoulder bring all my thoughts to a stop. He thinks I’m sleeping but I feel him every morning giving me the same kiss in the same spot. I’ve come to expect it, to want it, and that small morning kiss brings me comfort and soothes all this anger and guilt riding in my body.
“Good morning, Tesoro. “
“Mmm,” I mumble, yanking the covers over my head.
He chuckles. “Come on. It’s time to get ready. I’m taking you somewhere special.”
Okay, that grabs my attention. I pull down the comforter and peek at him. “What kind of surprise?”
He props himself on his elbow and raises his brows. “Oh, do you like surprises?”
“Maybe, depends on the surprise,” I say casually.
“You’ll like this one,” he says, his smile faltering. “So let’s get up and get ready. We need to be there in an hour.”
I’m not sure if I like his change in demeanor but if it means I have a chance of getting out of the house, I’ll take it.
When he comes out of the bathroom, he’s freshly shaved, and naked.
I clutch the blanket as he runs his fingers through his freshly wet hair. He sees me staring and that fucking cocky grin crooks the left side of his face as he heads to his closet.
When he steps inside, I get the view of his round, plump ass.
Come on, who is built like this? It’s unfair.
“I have clothes here for you, you know. New clothes. You don’t have to wear the ones in the suitcase Matias brought over from your apartment. This is your closet too,” he shouts from the inside of it.
“It’s fine. I like my shirts. They are comfortable.”
“I know you like those raggedy college shirts for some reason.” He comes out partly clothed.
Thank god.
“I remember you wearing one when I saw you at the store.” He tosses me a maroon shirt and I catch it, lifting it in the air.
Across the chest, it says Harvard on it. He can’t see me because I’m blocking him with the shirt as I hold it up, but my eyes begin to water.
No one has ever noticed how much I love shirts like this. I don’t know why. I find them comfortable, simple, and they go easily with my day-to-day life.
“Now, there are nicer clothes in there. Gowns, for the events, blouses, skirts, jeans, but I have plenty of shirts in there like that for you. I assumed they are your favorite. You wear a different one every day.”
“I can’t believe you noticed that.” I drop the t-shirt and wipe my eyes, hoping he doesn’t see how much this gesture affects me. “You’re making it hard to hate you, you know.”
He buttons his white shirt and winks at me. “That’s the plan you know, chipping away at the hate you have for me only to realize it’s been love all along.”
I snort, rolling my eyes. “You are a wishful thinker.”
“I suppose with you I am,” he states, tucking his shirt in his pants. “It’s new to me too. I’m not like this with everyone. I have a reputation, an image, and you soften that image, even with those sharp little daggers you like to throw at me when you glare.”
“I do not glare,” I say, glaring at him, but I keep my tone light.
“I wouldn’t have you looking at me any other way. I’d wonder if something was wrong with you.”
“You think you’re so funny.” I finally get out of bed and my shorts ride up my legs. I stretch, yawning and the small strap to my top falls down my shoulder.
Since I’m still half asleep because I’m not really a morning person, he’s suddenly next to me, his fingers playing with the flimsy material. I can’t help it, I tilt my head to the side, my body once again betraying me to give him access to a part of me. The calloused pads of his fingers, ones that kill and torment, touch me as if I’m broken glass, something fragile he doesn’t want to break.
He is making it very hard to hate him.
“I’m hilarious, Tesoro.” He places the strap back on my shoulder, then bends down, kissing that same spot on my shoulder.
My skin reacts, pebbling from his kiss again.
“Get dressed. We need to leave soon.” He looks me up and down as if getting one more fill of me before he has to leave.
Has anyone ever looked at me like that?
And why hasn’t he kissed me yet? He’s always talking about how I’m his wife and he wants to give this an actual shot, make a baby the real way, which I wouldn’t mind now that I think about it, but he hasn’t made a move.
I’m relieved he hasn’t, but I’m also disappointed.
What does he want from me then?
I get dressed like he says, wearing the Harvard shirt he gave me, then wiggle into a pair of jeans. I spray dry shampoo on my roots and place more product in my hair to tame these beasts of curls. I toss some mascara on too, liking how the rich black makes my eye color pop.
When I’m done, I slip on my tennis shoes and walk down the hall, hearing Ari talk low on the phone. I can’t make out the conversation but when I step into the kitchen, he hangs up, tucking his phone in his pocket.
“Are you ready? Let’s go.”
Matias and Gianni are already outside by the car waiting for us. I feel like I’m being pushed out the door and it’s starting to tick me off.
“I love surprises, but I don’t like how I’m being rushed or shoved out the door. Is this where you sell me or something? Is the buyer meeting us and changing his demands? It’s that why you’re flustered?”
“I am not flustered. Men like me do not fluster,” he says calmly.
“Your hurried steps and pressure on my lower back say otherwise,” I clip.
“You’re maddening and too intuitive.”
“I’m not too anything. Do not lie to me, Ari. I deserve to know what’s about to happen to me.”
“Rosie.” His fingers pinch my chin, a habit he has formed, and I fight him a bit, not wanting him to get his way so quickly. “Rosie,” he deepens my name, a tone that has me looking up at him immediately. “I’m not selling you,” he spits. “I’m not in that business. That’s disgusting. I know our marriage is unconventional, but I am a loyal man. You are my wife. My. Wife. No one will ever have you again. You are not in danger. I am not talking to a sex trafficker. Your imagination is wild, Tesoro.”
“You’re in the mafia. I don’t know everything you do.” I think about his words, how he said “You are my wife” with so much meaning, force, and determination. As if he meant what he said.
Is he so cut and dry that something as odd as our marriage makes him an honest husband? This is every girl’s dream.
“I’ll tell you everything I do if you stop asking questions that make no sense and get in the car.”
I cross my arms and, maybe, I glare at him.
He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Will you please get in the car?” he says sweetly. “You don’t want to be late for this.”
“Yes, I will get in the car. If I am your wife, talk to me like I am.” Nothing is wrong with what he said, I just feel like pushing his buttons at the moment.
When I slide in the car, he is right behind me, the door slamming shut, and then he is on my back, pinning me against the seat. His hand wraps around my throat and he lifts my head from the seat so I can breathe. His lips tease my ear, and he chuckles darkly. “You’ll be a fucking good girl then, wife.” He tightens his hand around my throat. “And you’ll listen to me when I say that I can’t wait to feel you tighten around my cock.”
My entire body heats and liquid pools in my panties from the gruff and crass words. He slightly rocks against me, readjusting himself so I can feel the intimidating length of his cock.
“That’s how I’ll talk to my wife if you aren’t careful,” he warns, his nose drifting up my throat. “So I suggest you choose your words wisely because you aren’t ready for me to talk to you the way I truly want.”
He lets me go, pressing those lips against my neck and I have to roll my lips together to stop myself from moaning.
“Go to the private airstrip, Gianni,” Ari states, sitting in the seat beside me.
I run my fingers through my hair and clear my throat, fixing my shirt so it’s in place. My heart is racing, a constant thunder in my chest. It’s so loud, I can barely hear myself think.
He buckles me in, that damn knowing smirk tilting those lips that make me want to let go of my control, anger, and regret just so I can feel what his kiss would taste like.
“I have to make sure my wife is safe.”
“I’m fine.” I don’t sound believable at all.
He buckles himself in next and like before, he slides his hand in mine and holds on tight. This time, I don’t fight him. I enjoy him and more of the hate falls away as we drive out the black iron gates and onto the road.
The ride is quiet for a while, only soft music from the stereo filters the space.
“Why are we going to the airstrip? I thought you weren’t selling me,” I joke, tightening my hand so he knows I’m kidding.
“While the thought is tempting,” he squeezes my hand in return. “Like I said, it’s a good surprise, but you might even hate me more after. Something I’ve prepared myself for.”
I frown, not liking I’ve made him feel that way. “I won’t hate you more,” I say, believing myself. I’ve had time to decipher my feelings for him and while they are confusing, I like him. I grow to think about him more every day and instead of hate, I feel something else, something warm and safe.
“You might, but it’s okay.” He lifts my hand and presses it against his lips, giving me another soft kiss.
He likes giving me those and it’s those little things, along with getting me my favorite kind of shirts that have me feeling things for him that are far from hate.
When we pull into a private drive surrounded by big full trees, dust kicks up and clouds the area in front of us. We pull into a huge field that’s been cleared and a plane is sitting at the end of the single airstrip.
“Are we going somewhere?” I ask him, looking out the window in awe. “Do you own this plane? This land?”
“Yes,” he says, glancing out the side window too.
“Wow. I got into the wrong business then.”
He chuckles. “Well, you’re in it now.”
“So where are we going?”
“We aren’t going anywhere.” He opens the car door and steps outside. He holds out his hand to me and I take it so he can help me out of the car.
I hear tires crunching behind us and gasp, spinning around as fear clogs my throat.
“It’s okay, it’s my men. They are here for protection, that’s all.”
I nod, my eyes on the plane.
“We’re here so you can say goodbye to your family. I’m sending them away. They have money, and new identities, and are going to a safe place until all this is over. You can’t know where they are going. I have to protect you from that information. The less you know, the better. Do you understand?”
“They are here? I can see them?”
He pushes my hair out of my face as the wind blows. “You can see them, but this is goodbye for now. I need you to understand that.”
“I do,” I say quickly. “I do. Thank you. Thank you!” For the first time, I wrap my arms around his neck and give him a tight hug. “Thank you, Ari. Thank you for keeping your promise,” I whisper into his ear, pressing a kiss against his cheek.
“I’ll always keep my promises to you, Tesoro.”
I lean away, his eyes at ease as he looks at me.
He takes out his phone and makes a call. “Let them off the plane,” he orders.
I turn my head, my eyes already burning when I see the steps being lowered to the ground.
“This has to be quick. It’s dangerous for this to be happening. Bianchi is on the hunt for your brother, and he thinks your brother killed one of his men. You’re safe, but the longer your family is here, the more in danger they are.”
“I’ll be fast, I promise,” I tell him. “Thank you, again. I appreciate it.”
“Appreciate it enough that you won’t cut the ends from my socks?” he rubs his bottom lip with his index finger.
“Don’t go crazy. Where’s the fun in that?” I smile a genuine one.
“Rosie!” I hear Caplan’s voice calling to me from across the field.
I let go of Ari and sprint to my brother, smashing against him as we hold each other tightly.
“I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. I’m so sorry,” he chants over and over again, his fists balling the back of my shirt. “I didn’t mean for it to go this far.”
I sniffle, pulling back. His cheeks are wet, and I take his jaw in my hands. “It’s okay. It’s fine. Everything will work out, okay? You guys are going to go on a vacation. You’re going to have so much fun. You’ll finally be able to breathe, Cap. You’re okay. It will all be okay. Then, when all of this is said and done, we can be together again.”
Mom and Dad hobble over to us too. Dad’s hair is thinning, and he seems a bit pasty and pale.
“They will get the best medical treatment too. Ari has all of it covered. You’re finally free.”
“But you aren’t,” he holds back his tears. “What will happen to you? Why do you have to stay?”
“It’s a deal I made. I’ll be okay, I promise. He’s a nice man,” I find myself saying. “He won’t let anything bad happen to me.”
“You aren’t coming with?” My dad asks.
“You’re okay with that?” Mom questions right behind him. “I don’t know how I feel about this. We can’t leave the store.”
“You haven’t been working the store!” I snap. “You don’t give a crap about the store. You’re upset you have to do something for yourself now instead of other people killing themselves for you. Get on the plane.”
“Rosie O’Connor!”
“Mom, I love you, but get on the plane,” I say, my emotions starting to get the best of me.
I hear the grass crunch from behind me and I turn to see Ari striding toward me, his expression unreadable. He places his hand on my lower back, soothing circles, and immediately, I feel better.
Since when does my enemy make me feel better?
“I’m sorry, but you all need to leave. It isn’t safe here any longer. I need to get Rosie out of harm’s way. Say your goodbyes,” he says, sliding his hand to the back of my neck to give it a gentle squeeze.
I’m thankful our time was cut short. Talking to my parents is impossible. Now that I think about it, the only one I wanted to see is Caplan and I hate that he is stuck with them.
My parents don’t even say goodbye to me as they get on the plane.
“I don’t want to go without you,” Caplan says. “I’ll stay here with you. I’ll help. I’ll be good. I won’t get in the way, I swear.”
I sob, pulling him into a tight hug again. “I couldn’t live with myself knowing something happened to you. You have to go and the moment it is safe, I’m bringing you back, okay? You’ll be home with me and Ari.” I cringe on the inside, knowing I should have asked him first.
“Absolutely. Any family of Rosie’s is mine as well.”
Caplan narrows his eyes. “What are your intentions with my sister?”
“Oh my god, Caplan.” I push him toward the plan and laugh. “I’m fine. I love you. We’ll talk soon, okay?”
He frowns, knowing that isn’t the case. “I love you too.” He points two fingers at his eyes, then at Ari. “I’m watching you, man. You hurt her, I’ll hurt you.”
Ari snorts, knowing my little brother couldn’t flick him without dying. “Noted,” Ari shouts, giving my brother a wave. “I like him. He is protective of you.”
“Yeah,” my voice croaks. “I’ll miss him.”
“You’ll get him back soon, I promise.”
A loud pop sounds, traveling through the field. I’m barely able to hear it over the roar of the engines but another one sounds.
Ari tackles me to the ground and air whooshes out of my lungs.
“Rosie! Rosie!” my brother screams for me.
“Get him on the plane! Leave! Now!” Ari shouts at his men and I can barely turn my head, my chin scraping against the grass since I barely have room to move. I am able to see the door to the plane is shut and it begins to move. It speeds down the runway and the engines blowing air so hard, I have to look away, so the sand doesn’t get in my eyes.
“Come on, Rosie. We have to get you out of here. Now.” Ari yanks me to my feet, and I watch the plane zoom through the air above me, holding everything I love.
I stumble, but Ari has a good hold on me.
Gunshots from everywhere are happening. Bullet holes are decorating the car and Ari opens the backdoor, shoving me inside.
“Fuck!” he hisses.
He climbs into the car and Gianni slides into the driver’s seat and Matias in the passenger one. “They are dead,” Matias says. “I don’t know how they found us. Bianchi knew.”
Gianni slams on the gas and the tires spin, kicking up rocks and dirt.
“Damn it,” Ari groans, removing his hand from his shoulder.
His hand is covered in blood.
“Oh my god, Ari,” I rush to him, pressing my hand against the wound. “You got shot.”
“Feels like it too.”
“You were shot?” Matias spins around, eyes rounding when he sees his twin. “I’ll call a nurse. I’ll have her meet us at the house.”
“It’s fine. It’s a through and through,” Ari says.
“It isn’t fine. You were shot because of me.”
“I was shot because of Bianchi’s men. Was your finger on the trigger?”
I blow out a breath, exasperated. “You know what I mean. This wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for me.”
“It isn’t the first time I’ve been shot. It won’t be the last. It comes with the job.”
“It’s ridiculous.”
The car takes a sharp turn and Ari gets jostled. He moans, breathing in through his nose. Sweat beads across his forehead, his skin losing its gorgeous olive hue.
“I’ve been waiting to give this to you. It’s nothing special, not yet anyway. I’m still figuring you out to pick the right one.” He pulls out a box with his bloodied hand and opens it with a painful grunt.
Two simple gold wedding bands are settled in the velvet box. He takes mine out and slips it on my finger, then slides his on.
“If we are married, we need to have the gear, right?”
I stare at my hand in complete shock. It’s real. I’m a married woman. I have no idea what to say to him, so I stay silent, keeping pressure on his wound.
Blood drips over my new ring and I can’t help but wonder if blood will be the everyday way of life for me now.
