BOW DOWN: A Bad Boy Mafia Romance (Barone Crime Family) (45 page)

And finally we finished. Together we finished, and he pulled himself out of me, collapsing onto the couch next to me. I could feel him still inside me, and I couldn’t help but smile.

“That was unexpected,” he said.

“I guess I decided that I trust you.”

“Good.” He took my chin and kissed me. “Keep trusting me.”

I nodded and snuggled my head into his chest. He wrapped his big, muscular arms around me, and we stayed like that for a long time.

I
woke
up in an unfamiliar apartment on an unfamiliar couch. It took me half a second to realize that I was still at Cassidy’s, and she was sleeping in my arms.

Dim street lights through the windows. Black television, gray carpet. I took a deep breath and smelled Cassidy’s shampoo.

I could barely believe what had happened between us. I knew I’d end up fucking the girl, but I never actually thought I’d try to get her pregnant.

Too late for second thoughts. Not that I was having any, but still. It was done, and she was either pregnant or she wasn’t. There was no turning back from this.

I gently got up from the couch, making sure she didn’t wake up. I put on my clothes and rooted through her kitchen until I found the bottle of whisky and a glass.

I poured myself a shot, knocked it back, and poured another.

I had just tried to get her pregnant. I was willing to do that for her, to save her, all because I was sick of the fucking mafia destroying women and using them up. I’d done some bad shit in my life, and even been a dick to plenty of innocent women, but I had never hurt any.

The mob did that to a man. They could take the important things away and change him. For some reason, Cassidy made me want to change back.

Maybe it was this whole war—with the Russians, with the Spiders, with my own people. It had been war all the time, constantly, for years. Maybe I wanted to try something good for once instead of reveling in death and destruction like I had for so long.

The memory of her body pressed against mine played through my mind as I finished my second drink and poured a third. She had a perfect pussy, tight and soaking wet, and she’d been gorgeous as she sucked my cock. I’d never felt so fucking good before, not with any other woman I’d fucked. Cassidy was different.

I had felt it the first moment we met. I’d felt it when I introduced her to my old life. And I felt it sitting in her kitchen, drinking her whisky, wondering if she was really going to get pregnant or not.

I sighed, sipping my drink, and got my phone out of my pocket. I frowned at the several missed calls from Vince. I called him back.

He answered after two rings.

“Rafa,” he said. “Where the fuck are you?”

“With the girl.”

“Shit, man. Do you know what I’m dealing with?”

I had a feeling I did.

“What?”

“Ernesto. And he’s fucking pissed.”

“I take it he’s unhappy I beat the fuck out of his two goons.”

“Yes, he is. What the fuck were you thinking?”

“I was thinking the asshole wants Cassidy for himself, and I wasn’t taking any chances.”

He sighed. Vince sounded stressed, but he wasn’t angry. He wasn’t such a fucking pussy that he was afraid of pushing Ernesto’s buttons.

“Tell me next time,” he said, “so I don’t have to get blindsided.”

“Sorry about that, boss.”

“What happened anyway?”

“He had two goons waiting outside Cassidy’s place. I didn’t know what they wanted, and I didn’t feel like asking.”

“He says he put them there for her protection.”

I laughed softly. “Doubtful.”

“I doubt it too, but Arturo is unhappy.”

“Tell Arturo to grow a pair.”

“He thinks the whole fucking organization is about to go up like a fucking bomb.”

“Tensions are high.”

“You’re fucking right they are. Arturo isn’t wrong to be paranoid. There’s a rip down the middle of the mob, and shit is going to go down sooner or later.”

“You think Ernesto is going to try to stir that shit up now?”

“Maybe. I can’t be sure.”

“How much danger is Cassidy in?”

He paused. “I don’t know that either.”

“Fuck.” I knocked back my drink. “What time is it anyway?”

“Two in the morning.”

‘The fuck you doing awake?”

“You know I don’t sleep.”

I laughed. “Good point.”

“Look, I think you should bring her in.”

“You fucking kidding me?”

“I’m not kidding. Bring her to the mansion. We can keep a closer eye on her. I have muscle here.”

“So does Ernesto.”

“And so does everyone. Nobody makes a move in here. You know that.”

I sighed, pouring myself another. He did have a point. Nobody fucked with the sanctity of the compound, or at least they never had. There were too many guys with too many different levels of loyalty to really try to make a move.

It seemed crazy, though. The mansion was the center of the Barone family power. Arturo would be there, Ernesto would be there, and anyone else who might want Cassidy, too. We might be outnumbered, depending on what all the bosses wanted at the time.

But it was also the safest place. We could watch her closely. We could have lots of guys around at all times. Guarding her in this apartment would be a huge expense and a pain in the ass. We just couldn’t do it, even if we wanted to.

I didn’t want to go to that fucking place. I wanted to get her as far away from them as possible. But if Vince thought it was best, I had to trust him.

“Okay,” I said finally. “Fine. I’ll bring her in.”

“I know you don’t want to. We’ll work this out.”

“Yeah,” I grunted. “Sure.”

“I’ll tell the staff.”

“Later.”

I hung up the phone and sighed. I finished my last drink.

What shitty whisky.

I walked quietly into the living room and watched her sleep for a second. She was beautiful and calm, innocent and idealistic. She should have been my enemy. She wanted to shut down my people.

But I wanted her more than I could even begin to understand.

I crouched down next to her and softly said her name. She blinked and woke up slowly.

“Hey,” she said.

“We need to go.”

She sat up, rubbing her eyes. She grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around herself. “Uh, what?”

“Sorry.” I stood up. “We need to go somewhere safer.”

“What are you talking about? Is something wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong, but we’re not that safe here. We need to go.”

“Rafa, I don’t want to go anywhere.”

“Get your stuff together. I’ll drag you out if I have to.”

She stared at me defiantly for a second, and that made my cock stir. But finally she stood up. “Fine,” she said, and disappeared back into her bedroom.

I grinned to myself and leaned up against the door. She didn’t want to leave, and I didn’t blame her.

But she had no clue what was in store for her.

T
he mansion was set just
outside the city on a huge plot of land. I thought we were driving through the wilderness, but really we were just driving through the compound’s outer forest.

The mansion itself was enormous. I’d heard of places that big before, but I’d never actually seen any. It looked more like a hotel than a house. We parked in a parking garage under the building, and Rafa climbed out.

“Welcome to the heart of crime,” he said.

“It’s huge.”

“You have no clue. This place was built like a fortress.”

“How many rooms does it have?”

He shrugged. “A fucking lot. It’s a goddamn five-star hotel. You’ll see.”

He led the way, walking into the main building.

The entryway took my breath away. It was all gilding and beautiful sculptures. The paint on the walls alone looked more expensive than everything I owned, not to mention the paintings. They were gorgeous, and I even recognized one of them. It should have been in a museum.

But instead, it was hanging in the foyer of the mafia’s mansion.

“Come on,” Rafa said. “We’ll go to Vince’s office.”

“Who’s Vince?”

“My boss.”

“Why does a mobster have an office?”

He laughed. “There’s more business involved than you’d think.”

“I thought you guys went around breaking kneecaps and threatening people.”

“We do. Well, I do. Vince doesn’t so much anymore, not since he started a family.”

“Mobster with a family. That’s a surprise.”

“Anyone can have a family.” I shrugged. “Maybe everyone deserves one.”

I followed him through the halls, too busy looking around at the paintings and the expensive splendor to think about what he had said. I was totally blown away, taken aback and surprised by what I was seeing.

The mansion was more like a museum than anything else. Priceless art lined the twisting hallways. I was lost as soon as we started forward into the interior. The place felt like it was built like a maze.

After a few minutes of walking, Rafa stopped outside a door. He turned toward me.

“You’re about to meet my boss.”

“Okay,” I said. “So what?”

He shrugged. “Come on.” He opened the door and stepped inside. I followed him and looked in at what seemed like a totally normal office.

There was a desk closer to the door and another desk toward the back of the room. There was a coffeemaker and a hot plate on the counter to the right, plus a little refrigerator.

Sitting behind the desk was another man. He smiled and stood up as we entered. He was about the same height as Rafa, handsome, and tattooed. But where Rafa seemed hard and rough, Vince was smiling like a businessman.

“Cassidy,” he said, coming around the desk. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.” We shook hands and he grinned.

“It’s not often that Rafa brings a girl home.”

Rafa grunted. “Careful.”

“Does he have a lot of girls?”

Vince laughed. “Are you the jealous type?”

“No,” I said. “Not really.”

“Good. Because you’re not the first woman he’s been with.”

“Surprise, surprise,” Rafa said.

“I’m scandalized,” I answered. The men laughed.

“I’m glad you came with him,” Vince said. “I know it was a hard decision for you. This can’t be easy.”

“It’s not easy,” I agreed. “Frankly, I don’t even know what’s going on.”

“Welcome to our world.” Vince smiled at me, and I decided that I liked him.

“It gets easier,” Rafa added. “You’ll get used to it.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to men trying to kill me.”

“You will,” Vince said. “Trust me. We deal with it every day.”

“That has to be an exaggeration.”

Rafa laughed. “He’s not kidding. I don’t think I’ve gone a single day without at least one man wanting to kill me.”

“One? You’re lucky,” Vince said. “Try being the fucking boss.”

“Anytime you want to step down, I’m game.”

“Don’t get cocky.”

“It’s not cocky if you can back it up.”

“This asshole thinks he’s the best thing in the world,” Vince said to me, rolling his eyes.

“That’s because I am.”

I smiled at the two of them, unable to help myself. They were muscular, dangerous mafia men, and yet they bantered with each other like they were brothers. It was disarming and charming, and although I was still terrified, I felt a little at ease.

This wasn’t a horrible place. It was an office where men came to work. Sure, they were gangsters, and their job wasn’t legal, but they were still just people.

And I trusted Rafa. As crazy as that was, I found that I really did trust him. Maybe it was stupid, but after everything I’d already done with him, it just made sense for me to give myself over to it.

“All right, listen,” Vince said, walking over to his desk. “You’re not exactly an official guest here. Get it?”

“I guess,” I said.

He picked up a little packet. “This is the usual welcome shit. You’ll find this house is really just a glorified hotel. Room key is inside, plus your visitor’s badge. Don’t bother wearing it.”

“Okay,” I said. “Why give it to me?”

“Just in case someone gives you shit. I don’t know.” He shook his head. “Anyway, you’re free to wander. Check the place out. But don’t leave the grounds without talking to me or Rafa.”

“Fine,’ I said. “I can handle that.”

“Food and shit is free. Order whatever you want.”

“Order?”

“Room service,” Rafa said, grinning. “Welcome to paradise.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

“I can handle that,” I said, laughing.

“Here.” Vince handed me the packet, and I took it from him. “Rafa knows where your room is.”

“Thanks, Vince.”

“No problem. Just keep your head down. We’ll work this out.”

I nodded and followed Rafa back out of the room. I was exhausted, but I was running on adrenaline and curiosity.

We headed back down another series of hallways. I started to notice staff members standing around in the shadows. Some of them were doing cleaning tasks, and some of them were walking quickly like they were busy, but most of them just seemed like they were standing around.

“What’s with all these people?” I asked Rafa.

“They’re the staff. Just ignore them.”

“But why are they just standing around?”

“Because it’s late and they have nothing to do.”

“Seems crazy to have so many people working this late.”

“You haven’t seen crazy yet.” He grinned at me. “This is the fucking Barone family. Extravagance is the name of the game, girl.”

He stopped in front of a door and took the packet from my hands. He fished out a key card, just like the kind hotels used, and swiped it. The door clicked open and we stepped inside.

The room took my breath away. It was absolutely gorgeous and enormous. There was a main living room area, a small kitchen area, and a bedroom and bathroom off a small hallway. It was a lot like my apartment, but actually way nicer. The furniture was all clearly expensive, and there was even a fully stocked bar. The bathroom had every toiletry I could imagine, and the sheets felt like they were silk.

“What do you think?” Rafa asked after I had explored.

“It’s amazing,” I said.

“There’s one thing, though.”

I sighed. “What else now?”

“You might not like this.”

“Just spit it out.”

“I’m staying in this room, too.”

I stared at him. “Why?”

“We need to make this look real. Plus, you’ll be safer if I’m always here.”

“No,” I said simply.

“You don’t have a choice.”

“I do have a choice. I don’t want to stay in the same room as you.”

“Too bad.” He walked over to the bar and made himself a drink. “It won’t be so bad, sweetheart. You can come begging me to get you off whenever you’re in the mood.”

“That’s unlikely,” I said.

But truthfully, that was why I didn’t want him to stay.

We’d slept together once. I had let myself give in to what I wanted, and I still wanted it. But I knew it was dangerous to get involved with this man, especially now that I might be carrying his child. I’d take his protection, but I wasn’t letting him take anything more from me.

I could see how this could get incredibly complicated. Hell, things already were complicated. I’d let him come inside me without a condom, with the intention of getting pregnant. That thought sent a thrill down my spine all over again, but I needed to ignore that. I couldn’t keep throwing myself at him and put myself in more danger.

“Either way, doesn’t matter,” he said. He sat down on the couch and kicked his feet up. “I’m staying.”

I clenched my jaw. “Are you always this stubborn?”

“Only when I’m right.”

“Fine. Asshole. I guess I can’t say no. But you’re sleeping on the couch.”

He shrugged, kicking his shoes off. “Fine.”

“What about my bags?”

“They’ll be brought up soon.”

“Good night.”

He raised his drink. “Night, Cass.”

I gave him a look and then retreated back into the bedroom. I collapsed onto the enormous bed and sank into the sheets, letting their soft fibers wrap around me.

What the hell was I doing?

I was deep in the mafia’s compound, surrounded by enemies and allies alike. I was in more danger than I ever had been before in my life.

And yet I just kept thinking about that beautiful, handsome man. That was all I could think about. His body pressed against mine, kissing me, touching me, his cock deep between my legs. I could feel him inside me again, his warm cum filling me.

I had no clue if I was pregnant or not. There was no way of knowing, not yet at least, but I had to assume that I was.

I had no clue what I was going to do with this kid. Rafa had mentioned adoption, and maybe that was an option. Adoption was a really good thing. Some great family that needed a baby but couldn’t have one would take care of our child.

But even just thinking about giving my baby up made my anxiety go crazy.

I couldn’t deal with it. I was exhausted. I snuggled deep under the sheets and closed my eyes, trying to forget about where I was and what was happening.

And I especially tried not to think about the handsome man in the other room and how I desperately wanted him to sneak into my bed and make me feel alive again.