Page 36 of Mafia’s Final Play

“Even with your crazy aunt.” She looped her arms behind his head and pushed her chin up a little. “Maybe even because of your crazy aunt. She made you who you are, but despite all of that, you’re still your own man. Aunt or not.”

“What do you mean?” A peck on the nose accompanied the question.

“You are a strong, independent, fiercely loyal man, Matteo. You’re a good man. You’ve lived your life, and you’ve come to a point where you know what you want from the rest of your life. Instead of throwing that away, you’re choosing to live for yourself now. Not anyone else. Except for me, maybe.” The brightness of her smile made her eyes shine and he couldn’t help but love her a little more.

He pulled the blankets back up over them and pulled her close to his chest. He needed to deflect from the emotions her confidence in him caused. He wasn’t a good man, he hadn’t been, at least, not until her. “I’m glad you think so highly of me.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” She pecked his nose this time and smiled. “You’re perfect for me.”

“And you are all that matters. The only person’s opinion that matters is yours.” He brushed the hair away from her face, looked down at her, so beautiful and full of something he wanted to say was love.

Could it be that she did? Or did she just think she was in love? He wondered sometimes. He was her first kiss, her first lover, her first in so many things. At first, that had fascinated him, but now he wondered if she’d ever wonder what life, sex, kissing even, would be like with someone else? Maybe it was unfair.

Fuck it.

He didn’t care if it was fair, not when she looked up at him like that, with desire mixed with happiness. She loved him and that was all that mattered. Fucking someone else was the furthest thing from her mind, and as long as he kept her happy, didn’t act like a dick and fuck this all up, he’d keep her that way.

Marie wasn’t the kind of woman you could push away forever, he knew that she wasn’t the kind that would be able to handle a man that was constantly a jerk to her either. She wanted a man to be a man, and act like one. To be responsible, to help her, and be her mate. Not a man that walked all over her, she’d had enough of that shit to last her a lifetime.

“Want to watch a movie?” he asked though he knew she didn’t. “Or we could go to bed?”

He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, but comically, and she laughed as he’d wanted her to. Good, he hadn’t pushed too far or said too much that might scare her away. She hadn’t realized it, he didn’t think, but she was a caged bird waiting to be freed. She wanted to explore the world, to see how far she could go outside of that cage she’d lived in all her life.

He wanted to fly with her, that’s all he asked, to be allowed to accompany her on her new journey through life.

“Sure, we can watch a movie,” she said smugly as if to thwart his plans. “Maybe something like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. That always makes me laugh.”

“What’s it about?” He sat up and reached for the remote on the coffee table.

“You’ve never seen it?” Her jaw dropped and she stared at him with wide eyes.

“No, what is it? Obviously, a Christmas movie, but what’s it about?”

“Oh, we have to watch it now.” She took the remote from him and found the movie on one of the sites they ordered movies from. “Okay, get ready. You’re going to laugh your ass off.”

“We’ll see.” He pulled her to him, both on their sides now, and kissed her ear. “But I will be taking you to bed after.”

“Yeah, yeah, hush,” she laughed playfully and settled her head down on her pillow.

He saw some of the movie, but most of the time, he was watching her. She laughed through the entire thing, in a way that was so free and easy. Her eyes shone brightly, and everything about her was just… happy.

When the movie finished, he grabbed another bottle of wine and took her upstairs. While she changed, he put on some music, lit a few candles, and slid into the covers totally naked. She came back into the room with her fuzzy pink pajamas on. He frowned when she slid into the bed, but let it go. Pajamas were easy enough to take off.

“I’m so glad to be here with you.” She took a deep breath, one that wasn’t very steady. He knew she had a really hard time getting to sleep, and when she did, she didn’t sleep for long most nights.

It was one of the things that worried him. She’d go downstairs to keep from bothering him, but he worried that she wasn’t sleeping. He knew, every morning when he woke up alone, that she hadn’t slept well again. She needed solid sleep, being tired all the time would just stress her out and cause more problems for her.

“Did you take a sleeping pill?” he asked, but he knew they’d been in the drawer in the nightstand since they’d come here.

“No, they don’t work well, not anymore.” She put her head down on his chest and wrapped herself around him. “Honestly, those stories or reading are the only things that work to help me get to sleep now. They don’t help me stay asleep though. I could fall asleep right now, but I’d be awake again by two or three am.”

She blew out air in frustration and he patted her shoulder. “Well, let’s talk about something else. Maybe worrying about it, trying too hard, doesn’t help.”

“You’re going to talk me to sleep, are you?” She laughed and put her hand lower on his stomach.

His senses went on alert, her hand was almost on his hip, and he knew it made him a dog when she was so miserable about sleeping, but all he could think about was willing her hand to go lower. While she seemed to think she took a lot from him, he took just as much. He’d never wanted a woman as he did her, it was twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, his need for her.

As she’d said earlier, he thought it would calm down after a while, but every moment he spent with her told him that he was out of luck. He’d want her like this for the rest of his life. She knew exactly how to touch him now, what made him weak with need, but more than that, her responses to him drove him wild.