Velvet Lullabies

"Please tell me you didn't know who I was last night?" she said throwing her hands to the air.

"Sorry, bella."

"Jesus." She paced around the small office. "Do you know what kind of trouble I'd get in if they found out?

"They won't." Lucian's said coolly, "and if they did, it wouldn't matter."

Her eyes snapped to him. "Why? Why wouldn't it matter?"

"Bella, ju

st trust me, hmm?" he moved closer to her, pinning her against the office wall.

"You're higher up the food chain than them, aren't you?" Adelina asked, her gaze burning into his.

He smirked, "You're a smart girl."

"What do you want from me then?"

Lucian paused for a moment thoughtfully. "I should be asking you that question."

"I don't want anything from you." She spat out the words like he was a vicious man before her.

He released his arms, giving her space. “What do you want then? In life, I mean.”

She studied him, thinking the question over.

"Hmm?" he prodded.

"I'm, uh, not sure." She answered. "I've never been asked that before."

"That's a damn shame then." He moved in closer, pressing his hard body against hers again. "I want to give you whatever you want, bella, but you're going to have to figure out what that is first." His lips came forward gently brushing hers, then he pulled away quickly. "Come, let's get back to the table."

Adelina stood against the wall in a haze. There was an ache between her legs that she couldn't crush.

What the hell just happened?

Chapter Four

Lucian didn't move his gaze off Adelina until she was seated into the back of the black Escalade and on her way home. He asked that Vinny send her home so they could chat privately. Truthfully, Lucian didn't want Adelina to know the men in her life were using her as a bargaining chip. He suspected that a girl with her fire wouldn’t take kindly to be used for la famiglia.

"So," Massimo gestured to the empty seat where Adelina had been sitting. "What do you think? Are you interested in our offer?"

Massimo was a “get right to business” kind of guy, Lucian respected this quality as he had no interest in bullshitting and smoking cigars with men he didn't trust.

"Tell me again," Lucian brought his glass of newly refilled Cognac to his lips. Normally he would savor the flavor, but right now he just needed the drink.

"Marriage, of course. In exchange, we need your help with our pesky little Irish problem."

The "pesky little Irish problem" Massimo referred to wasn't as little as he made it out to be. Lucian wasn't dumb, he did his own digging, and this problem has escalated to a full-on turf war. If he helped Massimo there was a large probability that they were both going to lose men.

Adelina.

Her name rang like a bell in his head. If he didn't take this deal there was a good chance she would die because of it. Italian’s had a code, they didn't involve women and children but unfortunately the Irish didn't live by the same standards.

Lucian didn't want to be the guy who did stupid things for a girl, but the thought of her alone with these two assholes who are quick to sell her out and a gang of Irish gunning for her made him sick. He gorgeous body, pouty lips, and sass didn’t help either.

Still, Lucian was not going to buy her. That's what they wanted, protection in exchange for her marriage. He knew this wasn't the first arranged marriage in the world, or even in the mafia, but it still didn't sit right with him. Massimo and her prick older brother were taking away her freedom to choose.