“He doesn’t drink anymore.” I took my eyes off Phoenix and made eye contact with Nixon. “But I’m pretty sure now would be a good time to pick up the habit again.”
“No drinks.” Phoenix held up his hand. “Time, I need time.”
CHAPTER SEVENTY
The Mafia is where broken hearts go to die…
Mo
THREE HOURS.
I waited three hours for Tex to knock on my door. I willed him to enter into the room and at least tell me that things were going to be okay.
My arm was a little bit sore but it was barely scratched and hadn’t bled all that much, I took some painkillers anyway and tried to read a book.
But how do you read a freaking romance novel after surviving a gunfight? I mean seriously. It was almost laughable… almost. My stomach clenched at the sight of Luca slumping to the ground. I’d never fully trusted him, but he was good—in the end, he was good and he’d died. It was unfair, but then again, nobody ever said the Mafia was the place to go when you wanted fairness and equality.
Even though I’d been waiting for it, the soft knock on the door startled me. I opened my mouth to say “come in,” but Tex had already pushed the door nearly off the hinges. He slammed it behind him and stalked towards me, his face intense, serious.
I gulped. “Things not go well?”
“Marry me.” He kissed my mouth, hard, so hard I fell back against the bed with a huff.
“What?”
“Again, for real, marry me.” His lips collided with mine as his tongue entered my mouth. My breathing picked up as his hands moved to the skin of my stomach. “Please, please don’t say no. I won’t survive it, I won’t, Mo.”
“But…”
Tex’s mouth assaulted mine again, stealing my words.
“But, the contract.”
“Void.” He teased my lower lip with his tongue. “Ripped up.”
“What?” I gently pushed against his chest. “How? Why?”
Tex sighed and leaned back. “It’s a long story.”
“So tell me.”
“Say yes first.”
I grinned at his hopeful look, he was too beautiful, even after seeing all the death and destruction, I could look at him and see beauty, I could see goodness, love, desire. His blue eyes flashed with hunger as he leaned in, the roughness of jaw brushing against my cheek. “Say yes.”
“What was the question again?”
Tex pulled back and stood in front of me, gripping both my hands, then as if having second thoughts, bent down on one knee. “Marry me, not because you’re forced at gun point, not because you have to, not because there is no choice, or a damn contract signed in blood. Marry me because I love you. I love Monroe Abandonato with every bone in my body, I love you. Marry me, because you want to, because I can’t survive without you, because I don’t want to imagine a world where we aren’t together. Marry me, because I can’t stand the thought of waking up next to anyone one else but you, for as long as God allows me to live, I want to wake up to your face, your lips, your smile, you. I just want you. God knows Mo, if I were given one wish in this world, I’d ask for you. Every time. I’d ask for you.”
Tears streamed down my face as I nodded. “Yes, yes I’ll marry you.”
His mouth crashed into mine as he pushed me back onto the bed, hovering over me as he searched my eyes. Then with a soft moan, he tracked kisses over my lips, down my neck, back up to my chin… I groaned with delight as he lifted my shirt, his mouth moving across my stomach, caressing every inch of my skin until my body burned for him.
“Wait.” I gasped pushing at his hard body. “How?”
He stopped kissing me and rested his head against my chest. “Does it matter?”
“How did the contract get destroyed?”
Tex slowly lifted his head. “Phoenix.”
“Can he do that?”
“He’s the new boss of the Nicolasi family. He can do whatever the hell he wants, from ripping contracts to lighting his pants on fire.” He slowly inched his way up the bed until our mouths met. “Now, can we please make love? I’m tired of making war, Mo. I’m finally tired of making war.”
“Yeah,” I croaked. “We can make love.”
He kissed me soundly on the mouth. I arched up to meet him as a frenzy took a hold of me. Free! We were finally free to be together. I gave myself up to him with a cry as he pulled my shirt over my head and kissed me gently on the chin.
“Three hours?” I teased.
Tex’s breathing was ragged as he reared back and spoke in reverence. “Every hour.” He kissed my forehead. “Every day.” His kiss moved to my right cheek, then my left. “For as long as we both shall live.”
“Wow,” I breathed. “That’s a lot of hours.”
“Promise me forever—I’ll give you eternity.” His lips caressed mine. “I’ll give you everything.”
“Good.” I tugged on his hair as he let out a slight groan. “Enemies?”
“Always…” I teased as my arms wrapped around his neck. “Until the end?”
He chuckled and then peeled off his own shirt. “Damn right, until the end.”
CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE
And so it begins… a legacy nobody wanted, dropped into a killers lap.
Phoenix
MY HANDS SHOOK as I stared at the stack of papers in front of me. A year ago I wouldn’t have been intimidated by black and white ink, by signatures and dotted lines.