Casino King: A Dark Mafia Romance (Carfano Crime Family Book 1)

by Rebecca Gannon

  I can’t even pretend to know everything that lies beneath Alec’s surface, but I want nothing more than to have the time to discover as much as I can.

  “Tessa,” a voice says behind me, startling me from my thoughts. Turning my head, I see Vinny standing by the door.

  “Hey, Vinny. I didn’t hear you come in. Alec isn’t here if you’re looking for him.”

  “He didn’t come back here?” he asks, his brows coming together.

  “No. Should he have? Is he okay?”

  His features smooth out, showing no emotion. “Yeah, everything’s fine. I just needed to go over something else with him that I didn’t get to this morning.”

  “If he comes back, I’ll tell him to call you.”

  “Thanks, Tessa.” He nods, then adds, “How are you doing?”

  I give him a small smile. “I’m good. Thanks for asking.”

  “If you ever need anything and Alec isn’t around, I’m here.”

  “Okay. Thanks, Vinny.” The way he said that was a little odd, like he’s hiding something, but I’m sure he’s just being nice.

  After he leaves, I put my mug in the sink and go and take a shower. I have a class to teach in an hour.

  ♠♣♥♦

  I’m exhausted. Teaching classes after barely getting any sleep from Alec’s relentless need for me has me going straight for a hot shower and changing into something simple and comfortable when I get back to his house.

  I relax on the couch and watch a little TV for a few hours until my stomach growls. I haven’t heard from Alec all day, but he’s probably just been busy, so I decide to root around his cabinets and fridge, finding everything I need to make creamy tomato and basil chicken over linguini with a side of homemade garlic bread.

  I taught myself how to cook when it was just my brother and I. He was hopeless in the kitchen, and with him working all the time and us on a tight budget, I had to find ways to get creative. I learned to make what was simple taste extraordinary.

  When I have everything made, I check my phone and still see nothing from Alec. I don’t want to bother him while he’s working, so I send him a simple text just telling him I have a surprise for him and to come home soon. But when an hour passes and I still haven’t heard from him, I’m beyond starving and decide to not wait any longer. I make myself a plate and eat alone on the couch while I watch an episode of a mindless reality TV show.

  Another hour passes, and I’m starting to not be able to keep my eyes open, so I clean the kitchen up and put all the dishes in the dishwasher and the leftovers in the fridge. I leave Alec a note on the counter for when he gets home, telling him to check the fridge if he’s hungry, and then head off to bed.

  ♠♣♥♦

  Moaning, my eyes pop open and I grip the sheets in my fists. Looking down, I can see the shadowed outline of Alec between my legs from the moonlight glowing in from the windows. His tongue is doing magical things to me while I try and decipher if this is a dream or not.

  “Alec,” I croak, lifting my hips to him. Holding me down, he swirls his tongue around my clit and then presses it down flat as he slides a single finger inside of me. That’s all it takes. My mouth falls open as my throat closes around a strangled cry.

  Alec crawls up my body and slides right inside of me as he kisses me deep. I’m still in a dream-like state after being woken up in the best possible way, but his kiss feels different. More urgent and filled with a deep need to tell me something without words. But I don’t know what that is. I just know he needs this right now and I’m all too willing to give him anything he wants.

  He moves inside of me like he’s savoring me. He doesn’t take me hard and fast like he’s chasing off his demons. No, this is different too. It’s so unlike him, but deliciously good all the same, and I don’t have the brain capacity to analyze it further while he’s inside of me.

  Picking up his pace, Alec lifts my hands above my head in his and kisses his way down my throat, sucking on my nipples through the silken fabric of my camisole. Moaning, I meet his every thrust with my own, needing him to give me more. I always need more from him.

  Alec looks down at me, and in the faint glow of light that reflects off his eyes, I see something in them that scares me. But when he realizes I can see him, he kisses me hard, and I lose all sense of thought.

  The pressure builds in me, and when Alec bites down on my bottom lip, I explode, that bite of pain the tipping point.

  Groaning into me, the vibrations travel through my veins and make my inner muscles pulse around him continuously until I have nothing left to give him.

  Alec collapses next to me, pulling me against him. I don’t say anything, and neither does he. It’s just our uneven breaths as we come down from the high and the leveling of our combined heartbeats to fill the silence of the middle of the night.

  As my eyes grow heavy again, I’m struck with what this felt like and why I couldn’t decipher it in the moment.

  I saw regret in his eyes and felt goodbye in his touch.

  Chapter 26

  Tessa

  Alec has been avoiding me. I don’t know what happened, but something is off. He leaves every morning before I wake up and comes home long after I’ve gone to bed. Sure, he wakes me up with his hot mouth on my core, or the quick invasion of his cock, but I haven’t talked to him for days.

  I would never complain about having him like that, but I haven’t looked him in his eyes unless it’s his in the dark as he takes me. I haven’t heard his voice unless it’s to command me to come. And I haven’t felt his touch unless it’s his rough grip on my hips as he pounds into me.

  I don’t know if I’m reading too much into it, but it feels like he’s pushing me away.

  Tonight, though, we’re going to his mother’s for dinner, and because of how he’s been avoiding me, my nerves have been amplified. I don’t know what to expect from him.

  Do they know I’m coming? How will he introduce me to everyone? Will he hold my hand? Will he act like this week never happened and everything is just fine?

  I dress in a flowy navy blue maxi skirt with a slit on one side that goes up to my knee, and tuck in a white short-sleeved top that has little knot ties on the sleeves. Adding a long, blue crystal tasseled necklace and a pair of nude wedges, I curl my hair in loose waves and apply my makeup.

  I want to make a good first impression on his family, especially his mother, but I don’t want it to look like I’m trying too hard or wear clothes that are too fancy so they think I’m with Alec for his money. I’m just going as me.

  Unless I’m expected to wear something fancy?

  Mild panic starts to set in, so I quickly gather my purse and head out to the living room to see if Alec is here.

  I wouldn’t be this nervous if he would’ve talked to me and maybe given me some direction as to what to expect. But nope, I’m flying blind on this.

  “Hey, Tessa,” Vinny greets, standing from the couch. “You look beautiful.”

  “Thank you.” I smile. “Is this okay for a family dinner? I’ve never done this before, but Alec’s always in a suit, so am I supposed to wear a nice dress, maybe?”

  Laughing, he shakes his head. “You look perfect. Don’t worry, Anita will like you.”

  “Anita?”

  “Alec’s mom,” he says, and I immediately feel dumb.

  “Alec hasn’t exactly told me anything about her, or what to expect tonight.”

  “You’ll be fine. Just be yourself.”

  I take a deep breath and let it out in a rush. “Alright.” I nod. “How much longer will Alec be?”

  “Oh.” He frowns. “Did he not tell you?”

  “What?”

  “He’s meeting us there. He had to go into the city this afternoon to talk with Leo and Luca.”

  “No, he didn’t tell me. We haven’t really talked in a few days,” I tell him reluctantly. “Is he okay? Is something going on? I know you can’t tell me much, if anything, but…”

 
“He’s fine,” Vinny says quickly. “He’s had a lot of work lately.”

  Yeah, that sounds like a bullshit answer, but I’m not about to tell him that. “Alright, so it’s just us?”

  “Yeah, and we better get going if we want to be on time.”

  Heading down to the private garage, Vinny guides me over to a sleek red Mercedes.

  “I like this one.” I smile, running my finger along the hood. “What is it?”

  “It’s a Mercedes AMG GT Coupe.” Vinny’s chest puffs out with pride. Oh, boys and their cars.

  “Let’s see how fast she can go.”

  “Get in, gorgeous, and I’ll show you.”

  A little giddy, I slide in and buckle up. The engine rumbles to life and I feel the vibrations in my blood. Vinny takes the streets inside Atlantic City easy, but then opens her up on the Parkway, weaving in and out of cars as we blur by them.

  Laughing, I turn and see Vinny with a smile on his face that matches my own. I haven’t had a real reason to smile this week. First, Enzo, then Alec. But this? This is fun.

  He lets off the pedal after a few minutes and we drive in a comfortable silence for the rest of the way as I tap my fingers to the music playing.

  When we cross the Goethals Bridge onto Staten Island, I keep my eyes trained out the window, and Vinny lowers the music when we turn off of the highway. “This is Todt Hill,” he says, and my eyes bug out at the massive mansions we pass.

  Pulling up to a gate, Vinny rolls down the window and punches a code in a black box, allowing the iron gate to creek open. My mouth hangs open at the beautiful house taking up more than the windshield will allow me to see.

  “Our grandfather bought this house out here for our nonna when she got tired of the city.”

  “I…” I croak, my palms starting to sweat. A massive white stone house that has two large columns on either side of the front door stands before me. There are second floor balconies lining the front of the house that are held up by a set of columns, creating overhangs for porches that line the entire first floor.

  A fountain sits in the middle of a circular brick driveway, trees line the front wall of the property to partially hide the house from the street, and perfectly landscaped flowerbeds are everywhere I look.

  This is more wealth than I’ve ever known, and I know the inside will be just as extravagant. I thought Alec’s penthouse was the epitome of luxury…well this…this is more.

  Vinny laughs at my reaction. “Don’t worry, Tessa. It’s just a house.”

  “That’s not a house,” I whisper.

  “It is. Just like this is just a car. A fast car.” He smirks. “But a car nonetheless. They’re just things, Tessa.”

  Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes and nod. “Thank you.”

  “Anytime. I like you, Tessa. I think you’re good for Alec. He needs a woman by his side to come home to. I, on the other hand”–he smiles–“have no need for just one woman.”

  A laugh bubbles up and out of me. “Maybe one day you’ll think differently, Vin.”

  “I don’t want to think differently,” he scoffs, parking behind a fancy Audi on the circle drive. Checking his phone, he frowns. “They’re stuck in traffic.”

  “So, it’s just us again?”

  “It’ll be fine. Let’s go in, I’m starving.”

  Climbing out of the car, Vinny loops my arm in his and walks me up the front stone steps. For some reason, I’m not totally buying the traffic excuse. Something’s going on with Alec.

  My eyes widen the moment we step inside the house, and I’m speechless. A massive chandelier hangs above us in the large foyer which is flanked by two curved stairways that lead to the second floor with a balcony overlooking the entire entryway.

  Voices and laughter echo through the house, and Vinny walks me further inside. After walking down a short hallway, we turn the corner and stand in the large doorway to the dining room, and all the talking stops as every pair of eyes land on me.

  Sitting around a table that looks to fit over twenty are seventeen of Alec’s relatives, and I’m struck with panic at the anticipation of having to remember all their names.

  “Hi, Tessa,” Katarina greets with a warm smile.

  “Hi, Kat.” I smile back, thankful for her breaking the ice.

  A beautiful woman at the head of the table stands and walks over to me. Vinny releases my arm as she takes my hand. “Hi, Tessa. I’m Anita, Alec’s mother.” Her smile is genuine, but her eyes hold a cautious wariness.

  “Hi, Mrs. Carfano. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “Come sit.” She waves her hand at an empty seat and then addresses Vinny. “Vincenzo, where are my sons? Or have you decided to take Tessa for yourself?”

  “As tempting as that is”–he winks at me–“they’re just stuck in traffic.”

  Mrs. Carfano waves her hand in the air dismissively. “Oh, excuses. Well, we’ll just have to get to know Tessa while we wait.”

  Damn it. I’m going to fucking slap Alec for doing this to me.

  “What do you do, Tessa? I’m Gia, and this is my sister Aria. Alec’s cousins.” Wow, twins. And they’re gorgeous. Perfect skin, hair, smiles, and eyes that are this honey brown that I’m sure have drawn in every man they’ve met. Women, too.

  “I teach dance at a studio in town, but I also dance in the Friday night show at The Aces.”

  Their eyes widen at that, and I’m worried for a second that maybe I shouldn’t have told them that? But then again, Vinny told me to be myself, and I don’t want to lie to his family. I’m also not ashamed or embarrassed.

  “Wow, that’s amazing,” Gia says with a smile.

  “I love it.” I smile shyly, my eyes flitting around to everyone.

  “I’m Vinny’s brother, Nico.” A handsome man who looks similar to Vinny stands and shakes my hand. “I work with Leo. Vin likes Jersey more than I do,” he jokes, slapping his brother on the back.

  “And I’m Mia, his sister.” She smiles sweetly.

  “Hi.” I smile back.

  Vinny points at three men who look like Italian models who came straight from an Armani photoshoot. What is it with this family? Everyone is beautiful. “This is Stefano, Marco, and Gabriel,” he says, and they nod their hellos, their eyes perusing me as if I were a threat to them.

  “Of course he leaves me as the last cousin to introduce,” another beautiful woman says, smiling. “I’m Elena.”

  “Hi.” I smile, and Vinny proceeds to finish off the introductions to all of Alec’s aunts and uncles, including his own mother, Teresa. Her husband is Alec’s uncle that was killed along with his father a few years ago. Her and Anita are the only ones on their own and they both share a loneliness in their eyes. I should know. I saw the same look in my eyes every time I looked in the mirror. Until Alec.

  Taking a seat next to Katarina, she pours me a glass of wine, and after finishing it, I’m finally able to relax and join in the conversations around me. I discover Mia just graduated high school and isn’t sure what she wants to study at University in the fall yet. Gia and her sister Aria are nineteen and models with an agency in Manhattan, but they have bigger dreams of starting their own fashion line one day. Elena is seventeen and everyone calls her the princess of the family because she’s the daughter of the only daughter born to Alec’s grandparents. The princess of the princess, they say.

  Elena has an older brother, Matteo, who works in Miami with Gia and Aria’s brother, Saverio. The two of them run a club there, and while Gia and Aria are in the middle of inviting me to join the two of them and Katarina on a trip they’re taking there in a couple of months, Alec walks in with his brothers.

  “She’s not going anywhere with you,” he states sternly, his eyes hard.

  “Why not?” Gia counters, raising her chin. I like her even more now that I see she’s not one to back down from an angry Alec.

  “Because I said so.”

  “Real original, Alec,” she says, rolling her eyes.


  Alec locks eyes with me and walks over. Placing his hands on my shoulders, he leans down and kisses my cheek. “Hi, bella.”

  At the sound of his smooth voice in my ear, I close my eyes and lean back against him. I haven’t heard him call me that in days.

  “Hi,” I whisper.

  He takes the seat next to me and pours himself a glass of wine.

  “It’s good to finally meet you, Tessa. I’m Luca.” He sounds sincere, but his eyes are showing all the skepticism he’s not willing to display outwardly in front of Alec.

  “Good to meet you, too.” I know his family is probably weary of anyone new. None of Alec’s cousins have a significant other with them, making it seem like he’s the first to ever bring someone here.

  That makes me feel slightly better, and gives me hope that whatever is going on with Alec is fleeting and we’ll move past it. He wouldn’t have still had me come tonight if he was going to end this between us. Meeting his family is too important.

  Dinner goes smoothly. I love listening to everyone talk to one another. I’ve never experienced such a large family gathering like this, and it’s not even a special occasion or anything. It’s just a Sunday dinner, but to them, it’s important to have everyone gather together.

  I help clear the table with Alec’s mother and aunts, and while they plate the dessert, I start placing the leftovers in containers. While dessert is brought out to everyone, Alec’s mom stays behind with me.

  “So, Tessa,” she starts, turning to face me. “My son seems to be very taken with you.”

  “Oh, well, yes,” I say dumbly, unsure of how to respond to that.

  “He’s never brought a woman home before. None of my boys have.”

  Snapping the lid in place on the container of pasta, I take a deep breath and turn to look her in the eyes. “I’m honored he asked me to meet all of you. I know family is important to him.”