Taken for His Own: An Arranged Marriage Dark Mafia Romance (The Torenti Family Book 3)

by Mae Doyle

  “I got it,” I tell him, possibly too quickly. There’s no way that I want anyone else on her tail. I know what it’s like to watch someone, how intimate it can get, how you start to feel like you really know the person. There’s only one person who’s going to get that intimate with Lucia.

  And that’s me.

  Chapter 5

  Lucia

  “Fucking cunts!” I scream, pounding the steering wheel with both hands. My radio is up and the bass is pumping, but the person in the car next to me glances over at me. I glare at them until they turn away, and then as soon as the light turns green, I gun it.

  I have to get away from here. I have to forget what my uncle told me and the fact that someone apparently wants to kill me just because I’m a Torenti.

  It’s the outliers who are always screwed. We’re the ones who get caught in the crosshairs because we’re the easy targets to pick off. If his intel is good, and I have no reason to believe that it’s not, then it’s very likely that someone is going to try to kill me.

  Why? Because I’m a fucking Torenti, that’s why.

  And what’s their best plan? Is it to call the cops?

  Fuck, no.

  Is it to try to hunt this guy out and leave me alone in peace?

  Not a fat chance.

  It’s to auction me off to the highest bidder so that I can warm his bed and he can keep me safe.

  I’m pissed, but the thought of Enzo warming my bed makes me take my foot off of the gas for a moment. There’s no way that I ever wanted to get married, but I wouldn’t mind a roll in the sack with him.

  If he weren’t working for my uncle. If he hadn’t looked at me like he was starving and I was the main course. If – and this is a big fucking if – he hadn’t offered to take me ring shopping.

  My turn comes up faster than I thought it would, and I hit the brakes before pulling onto my street. Even though I don’t live very far from my aunt and uncle, not only do I not see them very often, but our neighborhoods are completely different.

  I don’t think that I’ve ever seen kids around in their neighborhood, but here you have to drive really slow in the afternoon so you don’t hit half a dozen or so of them.

  Kids are a dream that I gave up when I decided to become a lawyer. No lawyer gets to have a good work-life balance, and kids are always the ones that suffer. Hell, even marriages suffer. That’s why I’m perfectly happy in relationships that have clear expiration dates.

  I don’t know that something with Enzo would, not when he was looking at me like he wanted to rip all of my clothes off and fuck me on the dining room table.

  I pull into my driveway but leave the car out so that I can spray it down. Even if I don’t take it to the carwash every week, I like to make sure that I give it a rinse so that it’s not filthy when I show up for court. I can do that later after I look over my cases for the week and make a few calls.

  I hop out of my car and beep the door before stretching in my driveway. I wasn’t sitting that long, but I still feel cramped up and tight. A run would feel great, but I don’t think that I have enough time, and anyways, running after eating that many meatballs is probably a crime.

  Grinning to myself, I bound up the steps to my porch. This afternoon was unpleasant, but there’s no reason for me to dwell on it. I told Enzo and my uncle what I thought, and I’m sure that they’ll leave me alone. It’s just me against the world, like always, and that’s how I like it.

  And as for the death threat? There’s no way in hell that I believe that someone would actually come for me. That’s insane, and the sort of thing that only happens in books.

  As soon as I step inside my front door my huge dog, Mack, comes bounding at me barking. He jumps up and puts his paws on my shoulders as he licks my face.

  “Geez, Mack,” I tell him, “I wasn’t gone that long!” At first, I’m grateful for the attention, but then I remember.

  The meatballs.

  There’s no way this big furry devil would want anything to do with me if it weren’t for my aunt’s meatballs and how I probably smell like them. Sighing, I drop his paws to the floor and walk to my office. As much as I hate to admit it, I can’t stop thinking about Enzo.

  I can’t stop thinking about how close he came to kissing me. About how my core throbbed for him when I heard his voice the first time. About how easy it would have been for me to say yes when he told me that he wanted to take me shopping for a ring.

  But that’s just ridiculous.

  All of this afternoon was stupid, and the only way for me to get him out of my mind is with a little work. Later tonight, maybe, I’ll take Mack on a run, but right now I have other things I need to do.

  ◆◆◆

  Mack’s been whining at the door for a few minutes, and when I finally look up from my desk, I swear. “Holy shit, Mack, I’m so sorry! I had no idea it had been this long.” I hop up and race him to the front door. As soon as I open it, he’s out, bounding across the yard to relieve himself.

  “So much for a run,” I mutter to myself. The sky is completely clouded over, and even as I watch, a huge bolt of lightning sparks across the sky.

  Shit. Mack. He’s giant, sure, but he’s actually a huge baby and completely afraid of storms. Without thinking about what I’m doing and without turning around to shut the door first, I race off into the yard for him. There’s a line of trees separating my yard from the road, and that’s where he normally goes.

  “Mack!” I call out for him, but my voice gets ripped away from me by the wind. It’s picking up outside, and I have a very good feeling that there’s going to be a huge storm before long. Even the air feels electric, but I haven’t felt a single drop of rain fall yet.

  He doesn’t come and I walk through the woods, ducking my head when some of the branches hit me in the face. “Mack, where the hell are you?” Usually that brings him running, because he knows that I just sound mad and I’m actually going to give him treats for coming home.

  But before he can decide to come back, there’s a huge crack and another bolt of lightning. The skies open up and it starts to pour. I pull my jacket up over my head and push farther into the woods towards the road. The last thing that I want is for him to get hit by a car because he’s running scared from the storm.

  “Mack!” Now I’m screaming but he still doesn’t come. I’m on the sidewalk in front of my house, trying to decide what to do. There are a few cars driving past, but they’re all going slowly enough that I’m not too worried that one of them is going to hit him.

  A large black truck pulls up in front of me. I frown, trying to remember where I’ve seen one like it before. Most trucks all look kinda the same to me, but this one has extra tinting on the windows that make it impossible to see inside.

  They’re probably illegal. Nobody should have that much tinting.

  I take a step back from the curb as the window closest to me rolls down.

  “You lost or have you gone crazy?” I know that voice, and I take a step closer, squinting into the cab of the truck.

  Fucking hell. Enzo. He grins back at me, completely relaxed and dry inside his truck.

  “I’m…” I consider lying to him and not telling him what I’m doing, but that’s stupid. I don’t want to be with him, but I love Mack, and I’ll do just about anything to get him back. “I’m looking for my dog, Mack. He ran off and he won’t come when I call him.”

  Enzo’s eyes narrow. “Get in and I’ll help you look.”

  “No way.” I shake my head and back up, stepping straight into a puddle. “I’m going to look on my own.”

  “You look like a drowned rat, Lucia. Don’t be a pain in the ass. Get in the truck.” He leans over and opens the door, shoving it so that it’s wide open. A bit of rain blows in onto his seat but he doesn’t flinch. “Now, Lucia.”

  Fuck. I debate what to do, but before I can tell him to fuck off, there’s another crash of thunder and I cry out, throwing myself into the truck and slamming the door be
hind me. He rolls the window up and pulls away from the curb, putting on his flashers so that people will stay back while we drive slow enough to look for Mack.

  “I never pegged you as the type of girl to be afraid of a storm,” he says after we’ve gone a few houses. I have my face practically glued to the window as I look for Mack, but I glance back over my shoulder at him.

  He’s keeping one eye on the road, but I have the distinct feeling that he hasn’t stopped looking at me since I got in the car. I can’t help but wish that I didn’t look like a wet rat, but then I hate myself for thinking that.

  Enzo’s nothing to me, and I really shouldn’t care what I look like in front of him.

  We’re silent as he circles the neighborhood, but there’s no sign of my huge shaggy dog. With a sigh, I point at my driveway.

  “Up there, please. I don’t...I don’t think that he’s out here.” The last thing that I want to do is cry in front of him, but that’s exactly what I feel like doing. He pulls into the driveway and then parks the car.

  “You left your door open?” Light streams from my front door and I groan, smacking my forehead.

  “I didn’t mean to,” I tell him, but he turns off the car and reaches for his door. “Wait. Where do you think you’re going? I don’t need you to come to the house!”

  I pluck at his jacket, but he swings the door open and jogs to the front porch. I meet him there and slam my fists into his chest. “I told you not to come up here! Why are you here?”

  Anger spikes through me but I can’t help the fact that it’s fueled by something else. Yeah, I’m mad at Enzo. I’m pissed that he would just show up here and think that he had any right to try to control my life. But that’s not the only feeling I’m having, and as I look up at him, I have to ignore the fact that my body is screaming at me to kiss him.

  “Because you don’t know who the fuck could be in your house. I know that you’re not taking this seriously, Lucia, but the rest of us are, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t fuck around and try to get yourself killed, okay?” Before I can stop him, he scuffs his shoes on the doormat and walks into my living room like he owns it.

  Mack comes flying out of the kitchen barking up a storm, but as soon as he sees Enzo standing in the doorway, he throws himself to the floor and rolls over to expose his belly.

  “Mack!” I push past Enzo and throw myself on my dog. “I thought that you were gone forever, you big furry idiot!” I can’t help myself and I grin, looking up at Enzo, but he simply steps over the two of us and starts for the kitchen. I want to cry out to him to stop him, but the sight of a gun in his hand seals my mouth shut.

  Holy shit. He’s taking this really seriously. I stumble to my feet and turn to lock the door behind me before following him. If there is someone in my house, which I doubt, then I don’t want to be alone with them.

  Enzo stalks quietly and quickly through my house before ending back up in the living room. He puts his gun into a hidden holster and turns to me.

  “You’re good tonight, Lucia, but that was a big fuck-up.” He’s pissed. I can tell by the look on his face that I’m in for a good talking-to, and I swallow hard.

  Why the fuck do I feel flames of desire licking up my inner thighs? I have to shift my position as I stand and look at him, but it doesn’t decrease how badly I want him right now.

  “I didn’t mean to,” I tell him. “I just…I needed to make sure that Mack was okay and I honestly didn’t think that anything bad would happen.”

  “You didn’t think that anything bad would happen?” His voice is low and he takes a step towards me. My body responds and I can’t help the fact that I automatically walk closer to him. Anything to close the gap. Anything to make the throbbing in my core subside.

  “No.” I shake my head, but I have the very distinct feeling that something bad is about to happen. And that I don’t want to stop it.

  “Lucia,” he warns, reaching out and brushing a bit of hair behind my ear. My skin suddenly burns at his touch and I have to stifle a moan.

  What the hell am I doing moaning at the slightest touch of a stranger? It’s not like me, but I can’t help it. I want him to touch me again. I want…

  I want him.

  The realization sweeps over me and I let it, not even trying to fight it any longer. Instead of doing the smart thing and kicking him out of the house, I lean up and lightly brush his lips with mine. Electricity sparks between us and I gasp as I pull back, but I don’t make it very far.

  He loops his arm around my waist and pulls me to him, crushing my mouth with his. All of the longing that I’ve been feeling for him pours out of me and I reach up, wrapping my arms around his neck.

  There’s no way in hell that I’m going to marry Enzo.

  But that doesn’t mean I can’t take him to bed.

  Once. This is a one-time thing. I just have to remember that and everything’s going to be fine.

  Chapter 6

  Enzo

  I don’t know what’s come over Lucia, but I’m sure as hell not going to stop kissing her to ask her. I’ve wanted to pin her up against the wall and fuck her since I met her, and now she deserves it. Someone needs to teach her a lesson and let her know that you can’t keep doing shit like this.

  You can’t ignore a death threat and then leave your front door open while you chase after your stupid dog.

  You can’t walk around in a soaking wet jacket and shirt and think that I’m not going to want to feel your tits.

  Her hot little body is pressed up against me, but I pull back long enough to strip her of her jacket. It falls to the ground, soaking wet, and I run my hands over her body. Her thing shirt clings to every curve that she has, and she throws her head back and moans as my thumbs swipe roughly across her nipples.

  This girl needs a good fucking. Without thinking, I rip her shirt from her and throw it to the floor before running a line of hot kisses from her neck down to her navel. Her muscles twist and bunch under my touch as she squirms, but she doesn’t try to move away.

  Good girl. I wasn’t going to let her, anyway. She deserves this.

  “Enzo,” she moans, as I undo her bra. Her nipples are already hard and pebbled, and I suck one, feeling it peak even more in my mouth. She’s fucking delicious, even sweeter and more enjoyable than I would have thought, and I want everything that she has to offer.

  “You need this, Lucia,” I tell her, stepping back a bit so that I can see her. I keep my hands on her hips, digging my thumbs into her skin. “Want me to take you to your berdoom, or do you want me to make you come right here on the floor?”

  She flushes and looks over her shoulder at the hall. Before she can say anything, I grab her and throw her over my shoulder. Her great ass is right there, and I spank it, hard enough to make her cry out, as I walk down the hall.

  My cock is throbbing to get out and bury itself in her sweet little pussy, but first I have to get her ready. I’m pretty sure she’s primed, I can feel the heat radiating off of her as I carry her down the hall, and the only squirming she does is so get out of my arms and onto the bed.

  Fuck, she’s perfect. Her gorgeous red hair is pulled back and her perky little tits are just waiting for me. I growl and grab her jeans, ripping them off of her. Her mouth drops open slightly as I undress, my clothes joining her on the floor.

  Even though she still hasn’t touched me, I can’t help but moan as I free myself. My cock swings free and she sits up on the bed, eagerly reaching for me.

  Good girl. My eyes close as she grasps my cock and then dips her head, her tongue swirling around my bulb. I throb in her hands and she grips me tighter, squeezing me so hard that I want to cry out, but instead I pump into her mouth, trying to force myself deeper.

  “Fucking hell, Lucia,” I moan. She’s wrapping her tongue around my shaft and sliding up and down, her hands tight and massaging my cock one moment and then looser so that I can slip through her grip the next. It’s maddening. It’s perfect.

&nb
sp; It makes me want to fuck her even more.

  With a growl, I push her back onto the bed. She cries out a little and squirms away from me, but I press her down with my hips, pinning her in place. I could slip into her, thrust deep, and take her for myself now, but that’s not what I want to do.

  I want Lucia to remember our little encounter. I want her thighs to burn when she thinks of me and I want her to know that I’m the only one who can make her come the way that she deserves. She’s perfectly sassy and strong-willed, and she needs a man in bed who will break her of that and make her know that she’s not the one who’s in control.

  I’m that man.

  I force her legs apart with my knee and slide my fingers along her slit, slowly pinching and rolling her clit. She closes her eyes and arches her back, a sound of pleasure escaping from her perfect lips.

  “What did you say, Lucia?” I ask. I have one hand on her sex, the other trailing up her stomach. It’s tight and she’s breathing fast, her skin hot and sweaty under my touch.

  “It feels so good,” she murmurs, barely opening her eyes to look at me. “I can’t…”

  “Can’t?” Even though I know that I shouldn’t be enjoying this as much as I am, I can’t help but want to make her scream under my touch. “Can’t what? Do you want me to stop?”

  She shakes her head. Her perfect lips are partly slightly and she’s panting but she doesn’t open her eyes again, and she doesn’t speak.

  That won’t do.

  I lean up and kiss her, my tongue slipping between her lips so that I can taste her. I’m still stroking her, but now I sink my fingers deep into her. She gasps, sucking air from me.

  “I asked you if you want me to stop.” My fingers are deep in her, but I don’t move them. She grinds against me, her eyes flying open to stare at me.

  We’re still for a moment as she sizes me up, but then she shakes her head. “Don’t stop,” she whispers, the sounds so quiet that I barely hear her. “Please, Enzo.”