Rough Diamond (A Mafia Romance)

by Knight, Leslie

  He laughed a little at her snarky remark and then gestured to the car. “No, I won’t. Seriously, it’s a good thing, I hope. I just want to show you something and then I’ll bring you right back, we’ll be ten minutes, tops.”

  She felt a little bad at snapping at him but still thought he deserved it. The truth was she wanted nothing more than to just get in his car and have him drive her far away. “Well, it sounds very mysterious but I guess I can spare ten minutes, if it’s so important.”

  They climbed into the car and he was soon moving off into traffic. “How’s your dad, doing ok I hope?”

  “Yeah he’s fine, he came home yesterday. They’ve changed the medication he was on and don’t seem worried.”

  “I’m really glad to hear that, I felt so bad for him, for you. I’m glad he’s out of hospital and the doctors don’t think it’s anything too serious.”

  “Yeah, me too, I was so worried.”

  “Of course you were. I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you about the call, I wish I had.”

  She didn’t reply but was glad he’d said it again and she knew he meant it. Everyone does things now and then that they shouldn’t she supposed, at least he regretted it and understood why she’d been so upset.

  They’d barely been in the car two minutes and he was parking again. “Ok, we’re here, come on and I’ll show you.”

  “That really was only a couple of minutes, I didn’t think you were serious.”

  “You know me Chloe, Mr. Serious, come on, it’s on the other side.”

  She balled up her hands deep in her pockets to keep them still and crossed the street. It was slowly dawning on her what he was doing but she didn’t dare believe it and wouldn’t let the thought form fully in her mind.

  When he stopped and gestured to it she still didn’t know how to behave or react but suddenly her big winter coat felt way too hot and she wished she’d worn another.

  “So, this is what I wanted to show you, what do you think?”

  “It’s a shop, an empty shop,” she replied, knowing she was stating the obvious but not daring to believe what he had in mind.

  “Yeah, it’s a shop, come on and take a look inside,” he replied and began to unlock the door. “It’s quite small but I think it would be just the right size for when you’re starting out. I tidied it up yesterday and gave it a lick of paint, and I fixed up some simple shelves just to give you an idea of what it could look like, of course it’s totally up to you what you want to do and how you want the inside to look and how you want to display your stock and stuff but I thought you could have the till here somewhere and maybe your own little workstation over there so people could actually see you in the process of making something or…

  “Stop Vlad, stop! Just, stop a second.” She could feel her heart racing and was feeling almost sick from trying to process his fast torrent of words. Had he really done that for her, had he actually understood that it was her biggest dream and she’d been so hesitant and unsure and then he’d just gone and organized it all somehow in a single day?

  “Who owns this place, I couldn’t afford anything like this if that’s what you’re thinking, I mean, how could I even pay for…”

  “Ok, sorry, I really should have said first that it’s one of Mirko’s properties and he’s letting me look after it, basically. He’s left it to me to figure out what to do with it, so, I just thought it would be perfect for your craft shop. It’s the perfect size don’t you think?”

  “Yeah, it is the perfect size, but..”

  “I worked it all out with Mirko already and he’s happy to let you have it. Well, I talked him into it really but he didn’t need much convincing. You don’t have to worry about any rent for the first six months until you’re up and running, so yeah, that’s it really. It’s yours for six months to give it your best shot. Do you like it?”

  She looked around in wonder and could already picture where to display her crochet pieces, how she’d have a catalogue with pictures of all her work. Over the last months she’d made a note of any new local crafts or handmade things she liked from the area and she began to mentally populate all the bare surrounding shelves.

  The room smelled strongly of fresh paint and she could see the front window had been recently cleaned and how all the shelves were new. He must have been there the whole day getting it ready.

  She wanted to run to him and throw her arms around him, she wanted to laugh and twirl and dance through the shop but she couldn’t move. It was too much and all she could do was look at his gorgeous stupid face and burst into tears. Once the tears came she could move again and she rushed forwards to sob against his chest.

  “Whoa, is it good, do you like it? I hope they’re happy tears?”

  “It’s perfect Vlad, it’s just perfect and it’s even on the right street as well. I really needed you to do something or say something and then you go and pull this out of the bag and it’s just more than I could have possibly wished for.”

  “It’s gonna take a lot of work of course but if you don’t try you’ll never know.”

  “I love that about you. You just do things, even if they’re sometimes stupid things but you still just do them and don’t sit around like me wondering if you should or not. I’d probably still be dithering over the idea for years and then you just go and do all this in one day.”

  “Maybe that’s what makes us good for each other. If you’re there to stop me jumping in stupidly then I can be there to make sure you jump in the first place. How about that for a deal?”

  She looked up at his face and thought her heart would burst. “That sounds like a pretty good deal to me.” He kissed her then and it was long and lingering and the most perfect moment. He dragged her into life, pulled her forwards and woke her up and made her grab her dreams.

  She gave him her tightest hug and he spun her around in the center of the shop which made her laugh and squeal in delight. Then she made him stop so she could take out her phone and take some pictures.

  “I suppose I better take you back to work,” he said then, as their giddiness subsided.

  “I guess so, but can I come back again after?”

  “Sure you can, it’s your place now,” he said and dropped the keys in her hand.

  They went back to the car then but Chloe couldn’t stop herself from continually looking back at the shop and at Vlad walking tall beside her. She was so jumpy and thrilled and it was even better than the time she’d made her first crochet sale online.

  “You don’t have to bring me straight back, I still have some time,” she said, once they were in the car. “We could park up somewhere for a few minutes, somewhere quiet.”

  Their eyes met and the decision was made. “Right,” he said decisively and spun the wheel sharply to bring them down a side street. “I know a quiet place, we’re selling an apartment there.”

  The parking lot was almost empty and shaded by large mature trees. Vladek parked in a darkened corner and once he had the engine off Chloe sprang over onto his lap, straddling him and grabbing his face in both her hands.

  They kissed madly and it felt so good to be back with him and what he’d just done for her and because it felt so right. She ran her hands through his hair and gripped him tight as their lips mashed together. They were together again, connected once more and she was hungry for his touch to have him inside.

  He hands roved up under her skirt and gripped her ass, sending a tingle all up her spine. She worked at his belt, eager for his cock, even as he felt his fingers pull her panties to the side and brush against her pussy.

  A low keening growl of impatience escaped her lips and she sank her teeth in his neck. Anyone might have been outside the car watching but she’d lost all attention for the outside world. It was just the two of them, alone in the universe, hungry to be one.

  She helped him get free and guided him towards her, the first nudge of his bulging cock sending shocks all up through her body. Then he was in, plunging deep as s
he ground down against him. Her breath exploded in a rush and their eyes met.

  “God, Vladek, it just feels so good,” she panted out in wonder.

  “That’s because I love you Chloe Walsh. I wanted to say that to you today because it’s true and I didn’t want to wait.”

  Warm, rushing feelings flowed through her and her heart thrummed with pleasure. She dropped back down fully onto him and watched the heat flare up in his eyes. He was so good for her in so many ways and he made her feel so crazy and free and capable of anything.

  “I think I love you too. No, I do, I do love you Vlad. It feels so right when we’re together.”

  They kissed again fiercely and moved faster against each other, locked together in a burning, frantic fire. Her eyes seemed to take in every tiny detail of his face and every single piece belonged to her. They moved strong together and then she felt him come, warm and wet and deep below her belly.

  They breathed deep, faces slick with sweat and foreheads pressed together. She laughed out loud then and her joy was mixed with tears. She couldn’t believe that her life had become so perfect so quickly, and that it had all happened in the middle of something so scary.

  “Jesus, it’s hot in here,” he then said with a laugh. “Do you wear this big coat the whole year round?”

  “No,” she said, also laughing and struggling to get off him and back to her seat. “I just like this coat and it seemed appropriate last week. I need to start wearing my other one now. Still it kept us both nice and decent if anyone happened to be looking in the window.”

  “I guess I better bring you back to Bunk’s then?”

  “Yeah, I suppose I have to but it’s gonna be my last shift. I just decided, it’s time to do something different and if I’m gonna make the shop work then I need to get planning straight away.”

  “It’s gonna be great Chloe, you’ll see,” he said as he got the car started and reversed out to bring her back to the diner.

  She watched him move the gear stick and turn the wheel, watched his perfect profile silhouetted in the early evening sun and she knew what he said was true.

  “Yeah, you’re right. It’s gonna be great.”

  EPILOGUE

  Chloe opened the door of her shop and hurried inside. She flipped the sign to ‘open’ and picked off the handwritten note she’d stuck to the door. She usually opened at nine on weekdays but she’d had an appointment and it was coming close to eleven.

  The first few months were tough and she’d spent quite a lot of money on stock. It had been hard but worth it and ever since the fourth month she’d been in the black and her income had risen.

  She wasn’t making a good living by any means but it didn’t matter because she it was living her dream and things were going in the right direction. Both her dad and Vlad had done a lot of work with the interior and she was so pleased with the way it looked and how everything was displayed.

  She had her own little work table where she did her crochet if there weren’t many customers. The kids who came in were always fascinated by how she made the different dolls and their parents almost always ended up buying something.

  She turned on the lights and took a moment to stand in the center of the shop, turning slowly to take it all in. She’d been so busy and everything had happened so fast that she still found it hard to believe it was all hers.

  She had pottery and knitwear and only recently added a section with locally crafted jewelry. She sold a small collection of organic stationary and even a few hand crafted touristy things. She kept finding stuff she wanted to stock but tried her best to only buy the highest quality items.

  She hung up her coat and put on the low electronic music she liked to have in the background. She sat down to continue with her latest crochet piece, a penguin doll, to keep occupied until Vlad would drop by around lunch time.

  It was quiet at first but coming up before twelve the place suddenly exploded and she never sold so much in a half hour period before. Once it quietened down again she looked in wonder at the pile of bills filling the till and set about restocking the shelves. When Vlad popped his head in just after twelve there were no customers in the shop.

  “Hey,” he greeted her with a smile, “been quiet in here today?”

  “No actually,” she said, giving him a kiss, “it was madness in here a while ago. I’ve never seen the place so full.” She opened the till and waved the thick wad of bills and waggled her eyebrows.

  “Wow, amazing, I knew you’d be a success.”

  “What about your morning?”

  He scratched his head gave her a rueful look. “I have a lot more respect for all the work Mirko did now, I didn’t realize it involved so much. It was much simpler when I was just doing the labor, having to think about all these other things makes my brain hurt.”

  “He left you in charge of it all because he trusts you so much and he knows you’ll do a good job. Don’t worry about it so much.”

  “It’s fine really, I’m enjoying it. It’s just different, that’s all.”

  They stood close together and looked in each other’s eyes. So much had happened and they’d had new challenges to face but as long as they stayed close anything was possible. Chloe took a deep breath, she knew it was the right time to tell him.

  “You know I had an appointment this morning?”

  “How did it go?”

  She tried to keep her voice even because she wanted to gauge his reaction but she couldn’t help the excitement creeping into her voice. “Well, I was at the doctor, and he confirmed something for me, and, well, I’m pregnant. We’re having a baby.”

  “You’re pregnant.” He stated, looking stunned. “Well, that’s it then.”

  “What do you mean that’s it?”

  “We have to get married then, I mean, that’s just what we have to do, what we need to do then, isn’t it, don’t you want that, I think I do, no I definitely do, Chloe, will you marry me?”

  She could only look at him and realized he was totally bamboozled by her news. But he’d just asked her to marry him and now she was stunned and didn’t know what to say or if he really meant it. She struggled to get the words out but they eventually came “Yes, I do, yes.”

  Their eyes searched one another deeply as they both tried to come to terms with what had just happened. Vlad moved first, lifting her up off her feet and spinning her around with a kiss.

  “It’s true then, you’re actually pregnant, we’re having a baby?”

  “It’s true, and you want to get married, really, seriously, or are you just in shock?”

  “Well I’m definitely in shock but I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I hadn’t planned to blurt it out but I wanted to ask. I want a life with you Chloe Walsh, and if we’re having a child together I want that even more. I grew up an orphan, I know what that means, how important family is, and I want that with you.”

  She took his handsome open face in her hands and thought about how much she’d changed, how good he’d been for, how confident she now felt and how all her dreams were coming true with him by her side.

  “I want it as well Vlad. You make me feel so good and I feel like we can do anything together. Let’s get married, let’s do it all together.”

  They kissed again and she felt his warm breath on her cheek, her hands calm and still on his shoulders. She’d always tried her best to do the right thing but it had taken a crime to shunt her on the road to happiness.

  Sometimes being in the wrong place at the wrong time could turn out to be all kinds of right. It had been like a big gamble but then she’d won and got so much. There was more to lose now, so much more, but she had her shop, she had Vlad and soon they’d be a family. Her heart was full and she was ready to fight for their future with all her might.

  THE END

  Dear reader, there is a bonus epilogue for Rough Diamond available exclusively for my newsletter subscribers. It is a short steamy chapter that sees Chloe and Vlad return to the cottag
e where they fell in love. If you’d like to get this EXCLUSIVE, BONUS CONTENT just click this link. Newsletter subscribers also get access to other exclusive content as well as news of freebies, giveaways and upcoming promotions!

  Finally, if you enjoyed my book you might also like to read “Taken to Trade.” It is a dark, captor-captive romance and tells the back-story for Mirko and Karin and how they escaped the clutches of the psychopath Alexei. Read on for a full description.

  Thank you all so much! If you liked this story I’d be so grateful if you left a positive review. I love to hear from my readers and you can contact me at leslieknight37@gmail.com and find me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLeslieKnight

  Taken to Trade

  He took her to trade, but could they both be saved …

  Karin

  Tortured by a psychopath. I thought that was my fate when he kidnapped me off the street. But I soon learned to obey and began to understand. I was taken as a hostage because the Russian mafia wanted my father’s shop.

  My instinct for guys was always wrong and my weak flesh betrayed me every time. But I couldn’t help my twisted desire for him. I learned there was much more to Mirko. He was haunted by the demons in his past and desperate for an escape. I was drawn to him irresistibly and when I looked in his stormy grey eyes, I dared to hope we had a chance.

  Mirko

  She was supposed to be a token, a thing to be traded. I’d made so many mistakes and committed so many sins. The life I knew was over and all my foundations were crumbling. And then she was there, running down a hospital corridor and into my life, her beautiful big eyes fixing me to the spot.

  I tried to stay in control but she burrowed under my skin. Karin was the key, but would she ever forgive me if I traded her for the secrets of the past?

  Taken to Trade is a full-length dark romance novel with a HEA and absolutely no cliffhanger!

  READ TAKEN TO TRADE NOW!