Maria's Christmas Angel: A DARK ANGEL Romance (Alpha Male, Erotic Mafia Romance) (2 page)

Chapter Two

There he was…

I looked out over the crowded hotel ballroom at the wedding reception and saw Vincenzo staring back at me from where he sat at his table. Taking a sip of champagne, I allowed my gaze flicker over him, and then move on as if I hadn’t been looking for him. But the truth was, I had been searching for him like a month to the proverbial flame. If Vincenzo was in a room, it’s like my body instantly knew – and I couldn’t rest knowing he was in the same sphere as me.

Karen and Angelo had placed him on the opposite side of the room from most of our fa
mily, since we knew there was still an abundance of animosity between the Fernellis and the Lucianos. Things had gotten better recently, ever since Angelo and Vincenzo had reconciled, but no one wanted any fighting at the wedding – so we’d all agreed it was best to separate him from the rest of our family.

When we had been growing up
, Angelo and Vincenzo, or Vinnie as he had been called back then, had been inseparable. They had been the best of friends, doing everything together and most people knew if they messed with one, they had to deal with the other.

Years younger than them, I’
d wanted nothing more than to be included in whatever mischief they were involved in, and they had allowed it until they had hit their teen years. I had been heartbroken, and realized that I had become fiercely possessive of Vinnie, despite our age difference.

“
Don’t worry, princess. My heart is still yours,” Vinnie had whispered to me one night when he and Angelo were preparing to go out on a double date. He had brushed my tears from my cheeks and kissed my forehead before leaving with my brother and their dates.

As I got
older, my relationship with Vinnie changed, and on the night of my eighteenth birthday I had become his in every way. When Vincenzo and I had been together I had always thought of us as a sort of modern day Romeo and Juliet. With our families at odds, it seemed impossible for our love to survive unscathed, and unfortunately I had been right.

But what I still didn’t get was
why it had to happen the way it did. For two years we were blissfully happy together, until my darling Vinnie had ended things and walked away from me with barely an explanation.

Refusing to think about the painful past,
I focused on Jonathan as he leaned back in his chair. “God, why didn’t you stop me from eating all of that? I feel sick now.”

“Serves you right for eating your meal and half of mine,”
I said with a laugh. “How the hell can you eat like that and still be a model?”

He shrugged. “Good genes.
Come on, pretty girl. Why don’t you help me work some of these calories off on the dance floor?”

I
grinned and finished my glass of champagne, and then allowed Jonathan to pull me from the platform where the head table was located. “Don’t you want to dance with your boyfriend?” I asked.

“I think I’
m going to wait until people are a little more drunk before we let them deal with the sight two men dancing together,” Jonathan said with a wink as he led me toward the dance floor. “These Italian guys seem pretty conservative.”

Just then, a voice interrupted us.

“Maria…”

I turned and my heart skipped a beat as Vincenzo walked up to
us. He greeted Jonathan and they shook hands before he turned to me.

“I was hoping we could dance,” he said, his body language very clearly not taking
no
for an answer.

And b
efore I could refuse, Jonathan nodded his head. He couldn’t be happier this was happening; after all, he’d already made his point about how good a couple we’d be. “Sure!” he cried. “I’m, uh, just going to… go. Later!” He excused himself and headed toward the table where my cousin Rocco was sitting, leaving me with the man that had my emotions twisting in knots.

I didn’t say anything as
I allowed Vincenzo to lead me onto the dance floor and he took me in his arms. I felt a shiver run up my spine at how
right
it felt pressed against him and I cursed myself silently. Damn him, how could he do this to me?

I didn’t want to feel like this. He was completely wrong for me and I knew it, so why couldn’t I stop myself from reacting to him?

“I’ve missed this,” he purred. “I’ve missed having you in my arms, princess.”

“Don’t start with me, Vincenzo.
And don’t call me princess,” I snapped, hating the memories that nickname brought back.

“Fair enough,” he said lightly. “How are you doing, Maria?”

I knew what he was asking. Three months ago, on the night that Karen and I had been kidnapped, Vincenzo had been there. He had witnessed his cousin Paul drugging us at the club and had rushed to the rescue along with my brother. I had only seen him a handful of times since then, though, and we’d never really had a chance to speak.

I relented with a sigh.
I figured I owed him at least a civil conversation. “I’m fine. Good.”

He sim
ply stared at me in silence, waiting me out. He had always been an expert at doing that, and I had never been very good at keeping anything from him. But that was then, and things were different now…
I
was different.

So I used his own strategy
, content to dance with him in silence instead of telling him what I was thinking. He had given up the right to know my thoughts a
long
time ago. It was difficult to keep my resolve, though, when I was pressed up against his hard body. He smelled so good, I wanted to lay my head on his shoulder and just breath him in like I used to. We had fit together so perfectly, once, and the pain of remembering that had me sucking in a sharp breath.

“Something wrong?”

“Not at all,” I said, trying to regain my composure. “So, I… haven’t seen you around lately.”

“Yeah, you wouldn’t,” he replied with a smirk. “N
ot since you’ve been doing a damn good job avoiding me, that is.”

Fluttering my lashes at him, I shot him a
n innocent look. “Now, why would I do that? I haven’t been avoiding you.”

His
jaw tightened. “You forget that I always know when you are lying, princess. And that’s twice you’ve lied to me in a matter of minutes. Want to try again?”

“Don’t act like you know me, because you don’t
, Vincenzo. Not anymore,” I said softly.

For a moment it looked
like regret flared in his eyes before his expression cleared. “I guess I deserve that.”

“
It’s not a matter of what you deserve, Vincenzo. It’s simply the truth. I do have something to say to you, though,” I said, changing the subject. “I haven’t really gotten a chance to thank you for what you did—”

“Don’t,” he said harshly. “Don’t
thank me for that night. You don’t have to thank me for doing what needed to be done.”

“Vinnie.” I felt myself soften toward him
, and didn’t even realize that the nickname had slipped from my lips. “I didn’t exactly see what happened that night, but Agent Russo said it looked like Paul was going to shoot me if you hadn’t shot him first. You saved me. So you’re wrong… I
do
have to thank you for that.”

Vincenzo’s body tensed
and his grip tightened on me. “He would have sold you, Maria. That son of a bitch was working with a trafficking ring. If we hadn’t gotten to that warehouse in time…”

“
But you did,” I said, remembering that night. Paul Fernelli had made a move to oust Vincenzo’s father as the head of the family business, and had formed an alliance with the Russian
bratva
. The Russians had taken the opportunity to try and take control, until Paul had discovered that
they
had actually killed his brother, not Angelo.

Mad with grief, Paul had killed the head Russian
mobster, and then everything had exploded in violence when the FBI had stormed the warehouse. I still remembered it, all that trauma, all those guns.  Angelo had nearly lost his mind when Karen was slightly injured in the shoot out, but I had walked away unscathed. And part of that was because Vincenzo had protected me that night.

“You
talked to Agent Russo?” Vincenzo growled, interrupting my memories. “He didn’t tell me anything about you having a gun aimed at you.”

His words were so clipped I knew he was angry
, and I knew the reason why. I smiled. “Yes, I did. He actually came into DeSilvo’s last week and we had lunch.”

“Is something going on between you and him?”

I bristled at his tone. “I don’t think that is any of your business.”

“That’s where you are wrong, princess. Everything you do is my business.”

“Stop it, Vincenzo. It’s been years since I have even had a conversation with you. You don’t get to ask me questions about my life, or act like I answer to you, because I don’t. You gave up that right a long time ago. I wanted to thank you for protecting me that night, but that is it. I don’t owe you anything else.”

I jerked
from his hold, keeping my face rigid to hide my emotions as I walked away. The simple truth was I had never gotten over him, and that irritating little fact pissed me off uncontrollably.

I headed over to the bar, needing another drink.
I ordered another glass of champagne and took a sip to settle my nerves.

“I’ll take one of those.”

I smiled at Karen as she joined me at the bar and I ordered another glass for my new sister-in-law. She was exactly what I needed to cheer me up.

“So, Mrs. DeSilvo. How are you feeling?”

“Completely and utterly happy and in love,” Karen said, beaming at me. “God, Maria. This day has been the best of my life. I
mean
it. Everything has been so amazing! I can’t believe we were able to pull this off in such a short amount of time.”

“
You and Angelo deserved the perfect day,” I said, appreciating the happiness that seemed to radiate off of her in waves.

“It was perfect,” Karen sighed. “
I’m so happy I can barely stand to be around myself right now. Being with Angelo…I never thought I could love someone as much as I love your brother.”

“You make him happy,”
I said. My throat went tight with emotion when I saw the tears glistening in Karen’s eyes. “Angelo is the best man I know, and as his sister I want the best for him. And you are, honey. The two of you are perfect for one another.”

She smiled.
“You don’t know how much that means for me to hear you say that. I’m so happy we’re sisters now.”

I handed Karen the champagne flute the bartender placed in front of us and clinked my glass against hers. “
To sisters.”

Angelo walked up as we toasted.
“Ah, and here are my two favorite women.”

I turned to smile up at my brother
, and he kissed my cheek affectionately. “Angelo, I was just telling Karen how happy I am to have a sister now. Between the two of us we should be able to keep you in line.”

He
snorted at that. “You are trouble, brat. I think I’ll be safer keeping the two of you apart.”

Karen and I laughed. One of Karen’s relatives called out to her and she sighed. “Sorry, I have to go take care of that. My family is a little intimidated by yours
, and I have to make sure no one runs screaming from the room.”

“Make it quick. I want to leave soon
,
cara mia
.”

Karen’s eyes widened. “Angelo, it’s our wedding. We can’t just leave!”

“Sure we can. I want to continue the celebration with my wife in private.” His voice had gone soft, intimate, and it made me blush when I saw the heated look they shared.

“I’ll hurry,” Karen whispered breathlessly before she left.

Both Angelo and I watched her as she walked away. “She is perfect for you,” I said softly.

“She is.
Her family isn’t close. I was worried her parents wouldn’t come to the wedding. I’m glad they did, but even if they didn’t, she has us now. Thank you for everything you’ve done to welcome her.”

Angelo turned to me, a fierce expression on his face. “I’m lucky to have you.”

I shot him an impish grin. “You are. You don’t have to thank me,
fratellone.
You know I would do anything for you. Now go, enjoy your honeymoon. I’ll take care of everything here, so don’t worry.”

“I won’t. I know you can run DeSilvo’s and Bliss better than I can.”

“Of course I can,” I quipped easily. I kissed his cheek again then watched as he stalked over to where his new wife spoke to some of her family members. When it came to Karen, Angelo was a beast most of the time. He couldn’t seem to be away from her very long, and seeing them together always made me envious. I wanted someone to look at me with that type of hunger and raw need.

Vincenzo.
The name slipped into my mind like a phantom that haunted me, and I ruthlessly pushed back the desire to search the room to look at him.