Top Dog_A Mafia Romance

by Rye Hart

My Dad glanced over at her, his jaw locked. Surprisingly enough, he nodded and walked out of the room without a word.

  She turned and smiled. “You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”

  I dropped down on the chair beside me, feeling so incredibly deflated all of a sudden. “I don’t know, Mom, but I… I…”

  “You want him in your life?” She sat down next to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

  “Yes.” I glanced over at her. “And I gave him my virginity. I don’t want that to be it between us. He was so gentle and loving. I can’t just walk away from this. I can’t.”

  “Then don’t.” My Mom kissed my shoulder, taking my v-card confession much better than I thought. “But understand that he’s nothing like you. He’s a different type of person, baby, and he’s much older than you. I don’t want you getting your feelings hurt if he’s not willing to start a relationship with you.”

  “I have to try.” I leaned against her and closed my eyes. “I have to.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - HARLEY

  The text from Abi that she wanted to meet later that afternoon in town was a bit of a surprise, and a huge ass relief. After talking things through with my Mom, I knew I had to try and see the girl again. Even if it turned out we were now just friends. I wanted her in my life.

  I drove the back roads to the quaint little bookstore that she’d given me the address to. It wasn’t a place I’d haunted before, but I was willing to go to a pantie store in the middle of the mall if it meant checking on her.

  She’d taken up residence in my dreams and had me waking up each night with a throbbing hard-on and sweat trickling down my face and chest. How in the world I’d fallen for a sweet, simple, innocent girl was beyond me. I’d always thought I would end up a bachelor for life, but in the last few days, I’d come up with a hundred different scenarios for my future, and none of them were without her.

  The bell dinged loudly above my head as I stooped down and walked into the bookstore. The smell of dusty pages and sage filled my nose, causing me to sneeze a few times.

  “Bless you.” I knew that soft, sweet voice.

  “Thank you.” I smiled and turned to face her. The look on her face caused my heart to melt. We could both play games, but she missed me. It was written all over her pretty face.

  Her light blue dress was playful, thin, made for summer. I could see the faint outline of her nipples through her bra, and the vein beating along the side of her neck left me without a doubt. She was turned on. She was completely mine. Oh, the possibilities.

  Relief mixed with happiness swept through me, and it stole my breath. Had I really fallen that hard for her? It couldn’t have just been the sex, though it was delicious and felt right with her. It was something more. I was her protector. I was her man.

  “You look good.” She reached out, and I took her hand, pulling it to my lips and kissing her knuckles. I couldn’t help but lick at her fingertips before pulling one into my mouth.

  Her soft groan was enough to have my dick thick and hard, my heart beating like crazy and a million naughty thoughts racing through my mind. Why a beautiful woman like her was willing to take a chance on a guy like me was a mystery, but I wasn’t willing to give her up. Not yet. Not ever.

  “You do too.” I glanced around. “You alone? Cause I’m pretty sure your Dad isn’t going to approve of this.”

  She laughed, and the world felt lighter. “He doesn’t have a say in it. I’m a grown-ass woman, remember?”

  “No?” I let my eyes run down the length of her as she turned and walked toward a row of bookshelves. She looked like a grown-ass woman, her body luscious with curves, her skin smooth and flawless. There wasn’t a part of her that I didn’t want to touch, to lick, to possess.

  “Nope.” She glanced over her shoulder, giving me a look that could only mean one thing. She wanted time pressed to the bed or wall beneath me. Give the woman sex a few times and then she’d want it all the time.

  This is not a bad thing. I followed her, memorizing the soft curves of her hips, the soft curves of her legs. She had no clue of the power she had over me. It was mesmerizing.

  She stopped short, and I almost bumped into the back of her. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and leaned down, pressing my mouth to the side of her neck just below her ear. “What are you doing right now, Abi? We’re in a bookstore, and I’m hard as a rock thanks to those bedroom eyes you keep fucking throwing my way.”

  “Being naughty,” she whispered and reached for a door in front of her. “These are quiet reading rooms. You can only occupy them for twenty minutes, but I think that’s long enough.” She opened the door and turned, moving to her knees and motioning for me to join her.

  “Are you serious right now?” I glanced around and moved into the small room with windows on both sides. There was no one on either side of us, but there could be any minute. “Let’s just got back to my place and spend the night together.”

  “We can do that too.” She reached up and unbuttoned my jeans, her fingers so soft, her eyes wide with wonderment. “I want to work on this thing between you and me.”

  “You know I’m not good with relationship.” I reached down and brushed my fingers by the side of her face. “I can’t make any promises.”

  “Do you care about me?” She tugged my boxers over my hips, freeing my cock as it stood proudly at attention.

  “I’m falling in love with you.” I cupped the side of her face as she moved up and brushed her cheek down my length, stealing my breath.

  “Me too. Then stop thinking about it, and let’s just see what happens.” She swirled her tongue around the head of my cock, sucking softly. “Tell me if I do this wrong.” Her pretty cheeks colored pink.

  “Just don’t talk with your mouth full.” I laughed as she swatted at me and moved up to take me into her mouth. My humor turned into moans, grunts, and whimpers as I lost my load to the only woman whose body I’d be guarding.

  My woman.

  EPILOGUE - ABIGAIL

  One Year Later

  I couldn’t help but pace the floor as I waited for Harley to return. He’d been gone a month on his latest job, and not having him in my life or my bed was driving me crazy. We’d been through some ups and some serious downs, but he’d been true to his word. He was trying to make us work; there was just a lot of work there to do.

  He was in counseling a couple of times a month to help with his nightmares about being in the war, and I was more than happy to sit for hours to listen to him talk through some of the events and feelings. He wasn’t nearly as opened up as I wanted him to be, but I figured that would change, and soon.

  After checking my watch for the millionth time, I walked into the kitchen of our high-rise New York apartment and pulled out the stuff to make a salad. I had a chicken and veggie in the oven and hoped he would be hungry, as I’d cooked enough for three people.

  A smirk touched my lips at the thought. Poor Janice had the horrible task of teaching me to cook, which was like trying to teach a frog to fly. It just didn’t work too well.

  I yelped as the sound of someone coming through the front door filled up the space around me.

  “Baby? I’m home. You here?” The sound of him breathing in deeply followed by him growling left my stomach in knots, my heart racing.

  Would he be upset with my news? I brushed the front of my dress nervously and walked around the corner to greet him. “I’m right here. I’ve missed you.”

  His jeans hugged his hips tightly, and his black t-shirt left little to the imagination on how well he took care of his body. Our fight before he left a month ago was more than forgotten as I walked across the room and crashed into him.

  Strong fingers sunk into my hair, winding around the strands and pulling tightly as he kissed me with a fierceness I could only conjure up in my dreams.

  “I’ve missed you so much,” he licked my lips and ran his free hand down my back to cup my ass. “I think I need to find a local gig. T
his traveling away from you isn’t going to work the way I thought it would.”

  “Life’s too short to spend it apart.” I ran my fingers down the back of his hair and molded myself against his body, kissing him a few more times until the room grew faint.

  “You keep licking at my mouth, and we’re not eating whatever’s making that heavenly smell.”

  “What are we eating then?” I purred and licked at his mouth again.

  He chuckled low in his chest and moved out of my arms, putting his bag down by the TV. “How about we spend the evening eating each other, and then I’ll fuck you real good from behind like you like?”

  My body hummed with energy. One of the best parts about moving in together had been the ability to constantly explore each other – any time we wanted to.

  “I like it.” I bit my lip as he winked and walked toward the bedroom. “Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes, and I have some big news.”

  “Me too. I’ll be out in just a minute,” his voice was muffled as he closed the bedroom door.

  The ache between my legs was equal to the stiffness of my nipples. I wanted him all over me, but first… I needed to tell him my news. He’s been so good with me every time something new had come up over the last year, especially regarding my parents.

  My Dad was still dead set against Harley and me being together, but my Mom had accepted the idea when we moved in together.

  It was a different life, a different world.

  Needing to grow up and remind my Dad that I was grown, I rejected his firm’s offer upon graduation from Harvard a few months before and decided to work at a competing firm. It was nothing against my Dad, but rather the need to start making a life of my own.

  “Where you at?” Harley’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.

  “In here.” I reached for the knife and finished dicing up various items for a salad.

  “Smells so good.” He moved up behind me, sliding his strong hands up my side and cupping my breasts as he ground against me. “Feel that? I can’t even walk into a damn room with you and not get a hard-on. You’re going to be the death of me.”

  I rolled my hips a little and laughed. “You probably say that to all the girls you guard.”

  He chuckled and moved around me, grabbing a carrot. “Only boy bodies for me now, and to be honest, this last guy was a total asshat. How someone can act like they own the world and still have fans is a mystery to me.”

  “Want a beer?” I walked to the fridge and got two out.

  “I need a beer.” He lifted his hands, and I turned and tossed one to him.

  “He was that bad, hmmm?”

  “Yep. There’s only one person I’ve had to work with before that was worse. The girl just wouldn’t relent. Throwing her panties at me, pretending to want to learn self-defense so she could grind against my cock.” He shook his head and lifted the beer to his perfect lips as his eyes filled with merriment. “It was a little embarrassing.”

  “Someone I know?” I took a sip of my water bottle I had by the stove and put it down, moving over to him and sliding my hands up his strong chest. “Anyone hitting on my man should be put down.”

  “Like a sick animal at the vet?” He lifted his eyebrow.

  “Yep. And it should be painful.” I molded myself to the front of him.

  “Ouch!” He laughed and cupped my ass, rocking against me. “You’re so jealous all of a sudden. Can I tell you that I like it?”

  “You can tell me anything.” I pulled him down for a long kiss, sucking on his tongue softly as our sweet moment quickly morphed into both of us panting, needy for more. “Dinner can wait.”

  “No.” He nipped at my lips and moved back. “I need to tell you something. Big stuff. Come out to the patio with me. After that, we can eat and make love or make love and eat. Totally up to you.”

  “Really?” I whined playfully as he pulled out of my arms and walked to the patio door. “Just tell me here. It’s getting cold out there.”

  “Get out here before I spank your fine ass.” He opened the door and gave me a smile that melted my heart. He was a different man than the one I met and fell in love with, but love had the power to melt even the hardest of hearts.

  “I might actually enjoy that.” I walked out on the patio and yelped as he popped my rear. “Hey! I was kidding.”

  “Don’t tease me with the ass. That’ll never work in your favor.” He closed the door. “You wanna go first, or you want me to go first?”

  I let my eyes move across the sunset, the view stunning. “I’ll go first, but give me two seconds. I need to grab something.”

  He growled playfully as I moved past him and walked into the house, making my way to the bedroom. Was there any good way to tell him something this big? I didn’t think so. Maybe just being honest and getting it out there was the best answer.

  I walked back toward him, forcing myself to put one foot in front of the other. What if he wasn’t happy with my news? I’d never heard him talk about a future filled with love or laughter or little feet.

  “You okay?” He reached for me the minute I walked back to the patio, his expression filled with concern.

  “Yeah. I think so.” I wrapped one arm around him and lifted my chin, wanting to watch his reaction closely. “I know we didn’t plan for this, but there’s going to be three of us around here pretty soon.”

  “You got us a dog?” His eyebrow lifted.

  I lifted the pregnancy test pinched between my fingers. “No, a baby, but maybe we can turn it in for a dog instead?”

  He laughed and pulled me into a warm hug, leaning down and pressing his lips to mine.

  I melted against him, letting my fears and worries go. We’d been through a million things together over the last year. My Dad’s disappointment. His Mom’s chemo and radiation. Moving in together and making a deep commitment to love each other forever. A baby was just part of that love now.

  “I’m thrilled, baby.” He moved back and took a shaky breath. “I want four kids, by the way. Seems like now’s a good time to let that cat outta the bag.”

  “Really?” I chuckled.

  “Yeah. Absolutely.” He touched the side of my face as his expression softened. “I want to be the father to your children and you the mother to mine.”

  “You will be.” I pressed my hand over his as my heart thumped in my chest. “You know that I love you.”

  “I know. I want to seal it for all time, though.” He moved down to his knee as my heart almost stopped in my chest. He lifted a small black box, popping it open. “Be my wife. Let’s build a house together in the country like you wanted, a family, a life. Marry me.”

  Tears blurred my vision, but I nodded and reached down, plucking the diamond ring from the box and laughing. “Yes. Of course, I’ll marry you. I love you so much.”

  He stood and put the ring on my finger. “I don’t care what happens, baby. As long as I have you, I have everything.”

  “I love you,” I whispered before his lips pressed to mine, sealing the deal and locking me to him for the rest of my life. There’s nowhere I would have rather been.

  The End

  ROCK HARD LUMBERJACK

  CHAPTER ONE: SAM WASHINGTON

  OMG I HAVE THE BEST PRESENT FOR YOU!!!

  As soon as I see the text message from Lacey I know that I’m in for an interesting afternoon. Not only does Lacey not traffic in subtlety, I’m not sure she’s ever considered the alternative.

  Back in junior high, while I was a junior and Lacey a senior, she made an effort to cheer me up after my first hangover. Lacey covered the car of a boy who had jilted me in graffiti. She was on the verge of slashing his tires when the high school rent-a-cop startled her.

  I, of course, didn’t know this until later. It did cheer me up. I’m not sure if that says more about Lacey or me. But we take our fun where we can get it.

  Life is meant to be lived, right?

  Or, in my case, I take whatever fun comes my wa
y. This is one of my problems- I have always relied on other people to bring the excitement into my life. I’m not so good at drumming it up for myself. Good thing, most of the time, I have people like Lacey around to send cryptic texts that I know will have volcanic consequences.

  But for now, you’re probably wondering what I needed to be cheered up about. Honestly, cheering up isn’t quite the word. Here’s the least you need to know for now: I had been dating a guy named Owen for a year. I knew him well before that, but we only dated for about a year. Owen was…jeez, I’m not sure how to put it - except to say that Owen was Owen. He was just…there. Kind of like how gravity is just there. You don’t really think about it, and since it never leaves, you forget what life is like without it.

  Owen had a coin collection. Has. I’m sure he hasn’t gotten rid of it. I initially thought it was a cute hobby but it revealed itself as more of an obsession. He used the word “numismatics” constantly. That means coin collecting. Maybe you already knew that, but I didn’t. Over time I began to suspect that the only reason Owen started collecting coins was that he learned the word numismatics, couldn’t find a way to work it into a normal conversation, and could not therefore use this addition to his chick-slaying arsenal. Stupid Owen.

  You might be asking yourself, “What kind of woman gets turned on by a coin collection? Or a collector?” Well, silly me, that’s who. But before you relegate me to the pathetic bin of women who don’t aspire to enough, just know that Owen was my first real relationship. I didn’t know what I didn’t know. And coins weren’t really what did it for me. I actually fell for his inner nerd. I don’t want to be too harsh on him, since I was the girl that chose him in the first place. He shouldn’t take all the blame.

  That’s not actually true.

  In my calmer moments I keep forgetting that Owen cheated on me. The problem is, really, that I’m not good at being harsh on people. My best friend Lacey, on the other hand, is a different story. When you ran afoul of Lacey you placed yourself in the path of a pitiless kamikaze, which would have terrified a legion of Spartans. A good person to have on your side.