by J. L. Drake
“Have a sit.” Taking the warm mug he handed her, she added some sugar and creamer that was on the counter, and strolled to the table they’d had dinner at recently. Although it was cozy in the house, she automatically gripped each side of the cup to warm her fingers. This morning, the view of the lake was breathtaking. A few early risers were walking their dogs. She chuckled at the guy who had a leash in one hand and a filled convenience bag of poop in the other.
“I hope you like scrambled. That’s the extent of my egg making skills.”
Her stomach growled. Except for a midnight raid on the refrigerator for some cannoli and hot cocoa, they’d not had a bite to eat. It was on the tip or her tongue to say no, but as soon as the plate was in front of her, she dug in with gusto.
“Thank you. I…” Madison took a bite of toast and then a forkful of eggs. Her taste buds sang. This guy was either the world’s best egg maker or she was starving to death. He was obviously a better cook than he admitted.
Everything he did seemed to surprise her as normal, comforting, and Roman pulled her closer. Madison was afraid that her heart would be crushed beyond repair.
There was nothing normal or comforting about him. He caused her heart to race, her stomach to flutter, and her arms naturally wanted to pull him near.
“Is something wrong?” He had been watching her over his cup of coffee but now he placed it on the table. “You’re so quiet.” Roman talked while he buttered his toast. She had a hard time deciding where to look, at his face or at his tanned hands as they scraped a knife across the bread.
Okay, she seriously had to leave if watching him put butter on bread left her lightheaded. “I really should be going.” She started to rise but the light pressure of his hand on hers sat her back down.
“No.” The expression on his face screamed she wasn’t going anywhere. “Tell me what’s wrong. I want to know now.”
“I want to leave with at least a bit of dignity.”
“What? Why?” His eyes were huge.
“Isn’t this how it goes with you? A one-nighter, then the woman is driven home. Should I call for Arlo or will you? “
“Why the hell do you think I don’t want to see you anymore?” Roman appeared angry.
“Well, it’s just that I told you how deeply I felt for you last night, but you never said a word about how you felt about me. I guess I should call you Romeo now.”
He stood up so fast his chair fell backward and Madison jumped.
“Don’t ever doubt me.” In the next moment, he was on his knee in front of her. “I’ve never kneeled before anyone, but I am for you. From the first moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you were meant for me. I’m sorry I didn’t say how I felt last night, but I was overwhelmed. Stunned that the one I wanted for so long was finally mine.”
Madison was speechless.
“Do you understand me?” His fingers caressed her cheek and she nodded. Roman reinforced the words with a passionate kiss. Standing, he picked up the chair and sat next to her. “Never doubt my feelings for you. In fact, I want you to meet my parents. Soon.”
“What?” Her jaw dropped. His confession kick-started her heart, but the thought of meeting his parents scared her to death.
“Don’t worry, they will love you. We will go after your show.”
“Uh, okay.” Madison chewed her toast and processed all that he had said. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess. He’d said she was meant for him, but he still hadn’t said anything about love. It was a start. Still, she felt a little awkward. “Well, I’d better go so you can get to your meeting.”
“No you don’t. What do you have to do today?” His eyes locked onto hers.
“Nothing.” It was the first thing that popped into her mind. What did she do on Sundays? Not much.
“Perfect.”
“What do you mean?” Madison started to eat again. She really was ravenous.
“Then we can spend the day together.”
“I really don’t think that’s a good idea.” Her mind struggled to come up with reasons why it wasn’t. “I need to process everything that has happened.”
“Afraid you might seduce me back into bed?” Roman smirked and raised one eyebrow.
“No.” This time she couldn’t meet his eyes.
“Too bad.” He lifted her hand to kiss it. “I was hoping that would happen, but since you have nothing planned and you’re no longer concerned about how I feel about you, what do you say we go on a drive together?”
“Yes.” Taking a sip of coffee, the temperate liquid heated her throat the whole way down. Their relationship would be like no other and yet she could not walk away.
“I have to drive to Milwaukee. I thought we could do lunch, see some sites.” He grabbed a nearby newspaper. “Spend time together.”
She nodded and glanced out the window again. It was useless to argue a case she didn’t want to win. “That sounds nice.” They ate in comfortable silence. For some reason, Madison never felt the need to fill in the quiet time with words. She was content just being around him. Maybe he did care as much as he said.
Roman handed her the paper while he gathered their plates. “Take your time. I’m going to set these in the kitchen, call Arlo, and then we will be on our way.”
“Wait.”
“Yes?”
“Could we stop by my place for a few minutes? I’d like to change clothes.”
“Of course.”
Roman left the room. Instead of reading the news, she took a moment to soak in her surroundings. Sunny mornings, drinking coffee and reading papers together was a start.
Madison had to keep her head. She needed to come to terms with the unsavory side of Roman’s work. Things were moving way too fast.
A relationship, or even marriage, was for better or worse. Last night, she’d only thought of the good things. If she was really going to be with Roman, and that’s what she wanted, it was time to face the reality of what she was getting into. In life, a person didn’t pick who they fell for. She’d fallen hard for Roman. If she was going to live in his world, she had to know everything, whether it was the good, bad, or nasty.
“Ready to go?” His smile always lit up the room.
“Yes.” Madison may have had determination to take things slowly, but it was going to be a hard battle to win.
Chapter Sixteen
Madison
It felt heavenly to wash her hair and have a new set of clothes on. Roman spoke in Italian the whole time he talked to Arlo on the phone. At least, that’s who she thought he was talking to. After helping her into her coat, she buckled up and they were on the road to Milwaukee. It was only about a forty-five minute drive from Genoa.
“Where’s Arlo?”
Roman checked the rear and side windows before backing out into the street. “He’s in town already.”
“Really? When he dropped me off last night, I got the impression that he was staying to take me home.”
“Well, that didn’t happen, did it?” He turned and winked. “And something came up in Brew Town, so I sent him ahead.”
“Is it business?” She feared it was the kind of business she didn’t want to hear about.
“Yes, it’s a fire at one of our warehouses.” He briefly squeezed her hand before returning his attention to the shifter. “Nothing to worry about.”
Madison stared ahead and tried to calm the feelings of foreboding. She was determined to deal with whatever came from being with him and she’d enjoy every moment. The miles flew by. Roman really was an interesting person. She’d learned more about him in the hours that she’d spent in the vehicle than she knew about others she’d known for a lifetime. They had reconnected quickly, like they did at the Snowflake Ball. It seemed natural to be in each other’s company, but her heart wanted to know everything.
He’d briefly touched on what it was like to grow up in a mafia family. He touched on the coldness he felt between himself and his father.
“I admired my father an
d I knew that how he treated me was for my own good and the good of the family. I didn’t have an option of what I wanted to be when I grew up. I came to terms with that very quickly.” Roman sighed and seemed thoughtful. “You can’t choose your family or the one you fall in love with.” Madison’s heart jumped in her chest at his words. She couldn’t argue with that. She’d never seen eye to eye with her mother.
Roman mentioned that he had attended college and earned a business degree. He had aspirations of moving the family to more and more legal businesses. That alone made her hopeful that things would work out between them. They’d stopped at a burger place for lunch and it was so normal and natural to be with him. It was a comfort she hadn’t ever felt before.
“I have to make a stop,” Roman announced. He drove them to a different part of town and Madison could tell something wasn’t right. There were way too many black sedans and SUVs, the kind that Roman always used. Arlo and another man stood by one of the vehicles and they did not look pleased.
Roman parked nearby, but told her to wait in the car. Too curious for her own good, she lowered the window to hear.
Madison watched as Roman greeted each person with a nod and a handshake. They all held themselves in the same manner and were clearly of Italian decent. The air held a razor sharp edge to it as if a bomb could explode at any moment set off by testosterone.
“Fenetti, what happened here?” Fortunately, they spoke English.
“What I told you would happen. They want to take over and they want revenge for what happened to Diego.”
Roman cursed and ran his fingers through his hair. His face went from lighthearted, like it had been with her, to stone cold.
“I say we strike and we strike now,” the man they addressed as Fenetti demanded. “Either you do…or I will.”
Madison
After pushing every button that the door had until the window closed, Madison tried to ignore the conversation going on nearby. She wasn’t stupid. They meant business. Whoever started the blaze would pay. How they compensated, she wasn’t sure and didn’t want to know. She was already so taken with Roman that she’d turn a blind eye to whatever he did. She’d already done it once. Resting her elbow on the armrest, she glanced at the group again.
Roman and Fenetti were animated to say the least. Both up in each other’s faces, arms waving in the air. Even with the window closed, she could hear some of what they said. Arlo, always the quiet soldier, took turns observing the two in front of him and their surroundings. Finally, everyone quieted and it seemed like they’d reached some kind of an agreement.
Ever so slightly, she observed Arlo lean closer to hear. Fenetti smiled and embraced Roman in a big hug. They shook hands and the taller of the two motioned in her direction with a sexy grin. Her cheeks flushed. Had she been caught eavesdropping? All three men approached the vehicle she was in.
Struggling with the damn buttons again, Roman opened the door before she could find the right one.
“Madison. I’d like to introduce you to someone.” The man next to him took off his hat and held it in both hands in front of him. “This is Oscar Fenetti. He runs the territory here.”
Meekly, she held out her hand to shake. “It’s a pleasure, Mr. Fenetti.”
“Ah, the bridal shop owner. Please call me Oscar.” He seemed genuinely pleased to meet her. “Welcome to the family.”
The family? She nodded. Roman winked at her and with an arm around his shoulder, he led Fenetti back to where they had been talking. With a hug and more hand and arm shakes, they went their separate ways. Arlo stayed with Fenetti, and Roman returned to her side.
“Sorry about the delay. We had to sort a few things out.” He leaned against the open door looking more handsome than should be legal. Even though it was Sunday and she was in jeans, he was dressed as if heading for the office—his long legs encased in dark khaki pants, wide shoulders filling out a turquoise patterned sweater, the brown leather jacket making his sable hair even darker. Her fingers itched and she reached out and caressed his five o’clock shadow. The black whiskers gave him a devilish appearance that she couldn’t resist.
Maybe she was the one with dark side, the urge to go after things that were bad for her. Stuff like sinful chocolate, impossible dreams, and mafia men.
“Is everything all right?” Roman took her hand.
“Yes, why?” A lot of things weren’t right, but try as she may, there was no saying no to him.
“You had the strangest look on your face. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes, I’m shocked at how bad the fire was.” She gave herself an imaginary pat on the back for coming up with a quick answer and her eyes turned to rest briefly on the charred building. There was no reason except confusion for the mixture of emotions flowing through her body.
Roman turned to look at the building that had once been one of his warehouses. The smoldering embers still glowed in the ashes.
“What was in the buildings?”
“Inventory.” He let go of her hand, shut the door, and hurried to the other side.
The piney scent of his cologne reassured her as he settled his weight into the seat.
“At least you have insurance,” she said.
“Don’t worry. We’ll be compensated for it.” The edge to his voice sent a chill down her spine. He reached for her hand again and the wariness disappeared. “Do you want to eat somewhere here before we go?”
“No, I’d rather go back to Genoa.” Madison had never been a big city girl. She couldn’t wait to return home. “Do you like Chinese food?”
“Love it. Is there a place you’d like to go there?”
“Yes, it’s a little place next to the Genoa Arts Center.”
“The place that was bombed? I had Arlo check out the damage but I’ve yet to get there.”
“It’s along the lake on the west side.” The heated seat warmed her behind.
“I’ve heard of that area. It’s one of the few spots that aren’t heavily developed.”
“Yes, it’s really old. The arts center is in an old barn and the restaurant is a remodeled auto shop.”
“What other things do they do at the arts center besides sell stuff? Plays and concerts?” Roman expertly weaved their way through traffic and they were soon on the highway.
“No, it’s just for craft items, books, canned goods.” She waved her free hand in the air as she talked. “Anything that’s made by a local resident.”
“So do you have any of your designer dresses there?” He knew of her passion for designing gowns, a passion that had been fading away with time.
“No, but Stephanie has some of her writings there.”
Roman glanced over with a raised eyebrow. “A writer, huh? Have you read some of her stuff?”
“Yes. It’s really good and she’s working on some mystery and suspense novels now.”
“It’s no mystery that she doesn’t like me,” Roman joked.
Madison puffed her lower lip out. She shrugged and made a mental note to ask her about that on Monday.
“Yeah.” She squeezed his hand that was still holding hers. “Anyway, she’s an aspiring writer and she’s got a few short stories that she published under a pen name there.”
“Interesting.”
“Are you a reader?”
“Sometimes.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I’ll have to check out the place.”
“I told Dominic that he should put some things there. The rack he made was amazing. I can’t wait to see the other things he makes.” They didn’t have any merchandise like that at the store.
“He can do anything. He’s actually making some iron flower boxes and railings for Firenza. He also does swords, candle holders, and stuff like that.”
“Wow, as far as I know they don’t carry iron items, so that would be a great addition.” She would make a point to have Stephanie let her know if he showed up there. “Have him stop by the shop and they will get him set
up. They pay by commission and the crafter has to help at the shop a couple days a month.”
Roman cringed. “I’ll tell him you’re interested in him being there, but he’s not real social. I’m positive he won’t want to work with customers.” He entwined his fingers with hers and she resisted the urge to pull him closer. “Maybe they can work something out. He’s very handy, just not…” He seemed to search for the right word. “He’s not good with people.”
“That can be said for a lot of folks these days. I swear if Stephanie didn’t work at the shop, she’d never get out. Her favorite thing is to stay home and read a book or do some writing.”
“Are you warm enough?” Roman had shed his coat before getting in the vehicle but she’d kept hers on.
“Yes, I am loving these heated seats.” Crossing her leg over the other, it was easy to imagine spending lazy weekends together. After struggling with the decision of whether or not to date a mafia man for months, it didn’t seem to matter during moments like this.
“If you get cold, let me know and I’ll crank up the heat.”
“I’m sure you’re very good at that.” She couldn’t help but tease, and he drew her hand over and dropped a kiss on the back of it.
“You have no idea.”
Laughter followed as they bantered back and forth. Reluctantly, she let go of his hand as they reached heavier traffic.
Folding her arms across her chest, she studied his profile. Pieces of his dark hair had fallen across his forehead and she yearned to feel the roughness of his whiskers along her neck. Madison slipped off her coat.
“I told you I could crank up the heat and I didn’t even have to hit the button,” he joked.
