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I turned around and headed back to the kitchen, but I could sense him following me.
When we entered the kitchen, he spoke to Anni. “I’ve finished what I needed to discuss with Alessio. Do you want a lift back to the house?” His voice was much softer with his wife, and I could sense the affection between them. It made me wonder if my marriage would ever be like that?
“Thanks, Lorenzo, that would be great. I need to collect my car and pick up the kids from your mother’s house soon.”
We said our goodbyes, and Anni promised to arrange another meet-up. I was glad to have made another friend here, and I could see us becoming close.
***
As the weeks went on, our days settled into a sort of routine, and I was spending more time with the family and getting to know them better.
However, the one person who I was still wary of was Alessio. He hadn’t ever really accepted me, and he definitely hadn’t accepted Mr. Fluffy.
One evening, Marco was accompanying me on my evening walk with Mr. F. Even I had started sometimes calling my pooch ‘Mr. F’ as a nickname. While we walked, I decided to ask Marco about Alessio. “Why is Alessio afraid of dogs?”
“It’s not a case of being afraid. He just doesn’t like dogs.”
“He’s a big bad Mafia man and he can’t handle one small dog?”
Marco sighed. “It’s not like that.”
“What is it like then? Danio and Debi say they have always wanted their own dog, but Alessio’s aversion has meant that they never got one.”
“It just doesn’t work with our lifestyle. Look, not everyone’s a fan of dogs like you.
“Not everyone’s a fan of Made Men, but here I am stuck with you,” I shot back.
“Yep, you are stuck with me. Now can we move on and talk about something other than your dog?”
JULIANA
The next afternoon I was sitting on a sun lounger in the garden, reading a book and enjoying the sunshine. I was finding it hard to concentrate on my book and my mind kept wandering.
Marco seemed different lately, more human somehow and less of a monster.
I felt different when I was with him. His gray eyes seemed less cold and cruel when they were on me, and a thrill would rush through me when he ran a thumb over my hip or put his hand against the small of my back.
I found it hard to keep away from him, although I tried telling myself it was just my body’s physical reaction to his skilled touch.
But, sometimes, I knew it was more than that. I wanted to be with him, talk to him and hear his thoughts. He was like me in some ways—he cared intensely about his siblings, and they meant the world to him. Being part of this world, the Mafia world, didn’t mean that a man couldn’t have a heart. And when it came to his sister and brothers, I knew he was a man whose heart was capable of great love.
Maybe I didn’t hate him anymore? Or was it more than that?
I wondered if maybe the separation from my family was getting to me more than I realized.
Here I was, having all these thoughts—yet he was still the same man, and I was still his prisoner. He guarded every moment of my life, and I didn’t really have any free choice.
However, whenever I was with him, I was distracted by the color of his eyes, the curve of his mouth and the strength of his muscles. My mind kept flitting from being ashamed of my desire for my captor to feeling a deep need to have his body against mine.
But whatever was happening between us emotionally, I still couldn’t accept his refusal to allow me contact with my family. And I knew it was something that was an insurmountable obstacle between us. Even if I had fallen for my captor, I would never give up my siblings and my family.
MARCO
As the weeks went on, I could see that the wedding had been the right decision. Although Juliana still had some anger toward me, she also knew she had no choice now, and that made things easier for her. Where there was no choice, there was less point in resistance. And when she wasn't resisting the situation, she gave in more willingly to her obvious attraction to me.
We still had some days where Juliana actively tried to avoid me. But she couldn’t get away from me at night, nor did she want to.
It only took one touch, one lingering look or one whisper for her to willingly come to me.
