Mafia Monster's Forced Bride Read online

  “Something doesn’t feel right,” Roman said.

  “I heard that is the first sign of love,” Cash said.

  “Fuck off with the love. I don’t love my wife. I’m just … I’m taking care of her. I’m doing what my father asked of me,” Roman said. “I’m getting her to fall in love with me.”

  “The same man who would be happy to see her die?” Antonio asked. “That’s a bit odd, don’t you think?”

  Roman ran a hand down his face. “Something doesn’t add up in all of this. Think about it.”

  “I am thinking about it,” Marlo said. “All of this is a bit of a stretch. Your dad, Alex, do you think Liam could be involved?”

  “No,” Roman said. “He loves his daughter. He would never, ever, put her in harm’s way. What does he have to gain by killing her?”

  “Freedom?”

  “If he pins it on your father, an all-out war,” Cash said.

  “Yeah, but look at who is doing the attacks. Supposedly the Smirnov Bratva, right. An organization that was nearly wiped out years ago. Their old enemies. Dad wouldn’t allow people like that to rise up. You’ve got to think about the logic on this one.” Roman started to pace. The kids were all on the grass with Alex, and he had her in his sights at all times.

  The staff were also near her, keeping an eye on the kids.

  “If Liam was going to attempt to pin it on Lucas, then he would make sure it was the Greco mark, not an old enemy. It can’t be him, and I don’t see him attempting to kill his daughter. He wouldn’t do that.”

  “So we’re back to your dad again,” Antonio said. “And what he said to you in the hospital room.”

  “Yeah, which makes no sense, because forty-eight-ish hours before, he was telling me to make Alex fall in love with me.” He gritted his teeth. The answer was right in front of him, he just couldn’t quite reach him.

  “If he was going to kill Alex, seeing as there was already a hit put out on her already, why would he tell you, in private, to make this marriage work?” Marlo asked.

  “Exactly.”

  “So we rule out your dad,” Cash said. “Which brings us back to square one. Who would want to kill Alex?”

  Roman looked toward his wife. The smile on her face was infectious. She’d only been with the kids a couple of days and the color was back in her cheeks. She looked so happy. He loved seeing her like this.

  He hated hospitals, and keeping her in one had been difficult.

  “We have no one,” Roman said. “Alex is … she’s not…”

  “There has to be someone. We’re overlooking, or we’re not looking close enough,” Antonio said. “What about an ex-lover?”

  Roman frowned and looked at his friend. “What?”

  “Think about it, the moment your dad told you, you were engaged to be married, you stopped visiting your women. You ended things abruptly. Some of the women you were seeing, they liked all the pretty things you had.”

  “They’re not killers,” Roman said.

  “I don’t know, Denise looks like she’d be pretty pissed if someone messed with her money pot,” Cash said.

  “She was all about the money,” Marlo said.

  Roman chuckled. “So what we’re saying is an ex-lover of mine, who knew of the Smirnov, has arranged to have my wife killed and potentially start an all-out war because of my dick?”

  “Some women can be quite possessive,” Antonio said. “Maybe she or they didn’t like being passed over for Alex. Let’s face it, we’ve all heard the rumors. None of the women believe she is good enough for you.”

  Roman shook his head. “None of them could have done this, okay? I paid them a huge settlement. They have no reason to even think about Alex.”

  “Apart from the fact they think she’s getting your dick.”

  “I’m not talking about this anymore. It’s not helping.”

  “We’ve got to exhaust all angles,” Marlo said.

  What he needed right now was to be near Alex.

  After stepping off the porch, he walked all the way toward her. Several of the kids were near her as he approached, and all of them rushed back to their little easels to start drawing again.

  “You look angry,” Alex said.

  “It’s nothing.”

  She looked past his shoulder, and he didn’t need to turn to know she was staring at his friends. “Trouble in paradise?”

  “I don’t know, you tell me. Boys and girls, I’m going to take our precious patient for a little stroll,” Roman said, going behind her wheelchair. There was a chorus of okays and a few boos, that eventually turned into okays. Not that he’d stop doing what he was doing to appease them.

  “Is everything okay?” Alex asked.

  “Just trying to figure out who is trying to kill you.”

  “Ah, good thoughts.”

  “It’s not funny.”

  She held her hands up. “I know. Trust me. I know. This isn’t fun for me either. My classes have stopped. I can’t do anything. Being around the kids is awesome though. They’re a good distraction.”

  “Do you love kids?”

  “Yeah, I do. Do you?”

  “This is the first time I’ve been around them.”

  “Don’t you have siblings?”

  “I do, but I didn’t spend any time with them. Since I’m the eldest son, Dad focused on me and told me I didn’t need any distractions when it came to learning what I needed to take over. There was no time to get close to anyone. It was just me.”

  “That’s sad.”

  “I never missed what I didn’t have.”

  “I always wanted a brother or sister,” Alex said. “When I got too lonely and Millie was too busy and Dad was as well, I’d put all of my teddy bears around this small table I had. I’d name them all. I even had a chart that told me their name, what they did, if they were good or bad.”

  “And if you had a brother or sister, you would’ve been able to boss them around.”

  “I was never bossy. Even teddy bears can be so bossy when they want to be.” She tilted her head back and smiled up at him, which he found utterly adorable.

  The grounds were beautiful. Liam had outdone himself in picking the perfect location for the kids. From what he heard, an orphanage in the city, on Liam’s turf, had burnt down. All the kids had been saved, including their guardians. As a boy on the streets, and building up his reputation, Liam developed a soft spot and created an opportunity for these kids. The house was stunning. The people vetted and constantly checked. Liam put a lot of anonymous funds into this place.

  He also figured this was Liam’s way of apologizing to Alex. If he wouldn’t allow her to adopt or take on these kids, then he was at least going to make sure they were cared for. Liam truly only had one weakness, and it was the woman in front of him. They came to a stop at some benches, and Roman put the brakes on the chair to take a seat opposite her.

  “I thought we were going for a stroll?” she asked.

  “We are, and we’re going to enjoy a few minutes of peace and quiet.”

  “Not handling being cooped up in one place?”

  “It’s not that. I’m trying to scramble my brain for people who’d want to see you dead.”

  “Why not expand the search to all people that would like to see you and my dad suffer? You’ve got a lot of enemies.”

  Roman leaned forward, staring into her beautiful brown eyes. “I’ve thought about that, but there are so many different ways of hitting back at us.”

  “I know you’re right. I have to wonder if this is an attack on my dad, more than it is on you.”

  “How do you figure that?”

  She tilted her head to the side and rolled her eyes. “Come on, Roman. I mean absolutely nothing to you. We don’t have that kind of marriage. Outsiders can see it. We’re not close. You wouldn’t care if I died. I mean nothing to you. My dad, I know I’m his whole world. If I die, it would send him on a warpath.”

  Roman stared at her as she looked
away, closing her eyes and tilting her head back toward the sun.

  “I would care,” Roman said.

  “Why?”

  “You’re my wife.”

  “And?”

  “I have a duty to protect you, and regardless of what you think, I don’t hate you.” He wanted to take her hand, but he also didn’t want her rejection, not right now. “We haven’t given this a real shot. For all you know, we could be amazing together.”

  “Even though you’ve said you don’t do love.”

  “It doesn’t mean this can’t be the best damn thing we’ve both had before.” Roman put his hand on her knee, needing to touch her. He couldn’t quite explain it. “I wasn’t happy with you being in the hospital. I hated seeing you look so … helpless.”

  “I got through it.”

  “I’m not going to allow you to ever get hurt again, Alex. No matter what.”

  ****

  Alex sat in bed, reading the same lines of her book and not having a clue what they meant because all she could think about was Roman.

  What was his game?

  She accepted that they meant nothing to each other, but he seemed determined to bridge this gap between them, but she didn’t understand why.

  A knock sounded at the door, and she called for whoever it was to come on in. Antonio entered, and she closed her book. “Is everything okay?” Alex asked.

  Roman had to leave a couple of hours ago, just after dinner. She got the opportunity to help with the kids. They had a set routine of how bath times worked, and to encourage them not to mess around, she organized a movie night, complete with popcorn. Sitting in the large cinema room, surrounded by kids, she had loved every second of it. Hearing them laugh, squeal with delight, and then gasp in shock at a small twist. It was an animated movie, but they loved it.

  Afterward, it was teeth brushing and tucking in.

  With Roman not around to boss her, she was able to get out of the wheelchair he insisted she sit in, and she’d helped tuck the kids into bed. The pain was on a manageable scale. She rarely took any pain medication because she hated how drowsy it made her.

  “Yeah, everything is okay. I bought you some hot chocolate,” Antonio said. “I figured you could use some company.”

  She quickly glanced at the clock and saw it was approaching midnight. “I’m going to be going to sleep, soon. Very soon.”

  He smiled. “I know when I’m not wanted.”

  “I don’t think you should be here. It’s not appropriate.”

  “Look, Alex, I care about you. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

  “Don’t worry. Roman has already said the same thing himself. Only he’s told me he’s not going to let me get hurt again.”

  “He has?” Antonio asked.

  “Shocked, huh? I’m sure he’s just spilling words out of his mouth. You know, the whole word-vomit thing.” Just like she was doing right now to get him out of the room. Tapping her fingers against the book, she saw him staring at her. “What is it?”

  “Do you care about Roman?” he asked.

  She nibbled on the corner of her mouth. “I don’t know how to answer that.”

  “I care about Roman. I love him like a brother. He has my back, and I will always have his. He’s never really gotten close to anyone before. Especially not a woman.”

  “I don’t need to hear this.” She didn’t like the feeling curling in her stomach at the thought of Roman with other women.

  Antonio placed his hand on her leg. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. He’s never like that with other women. They have always only held one place in his life and that was to entertain him in the bedroom.”

  “I don’t need to hear this.”

  He groaned. “I’m not saying the right thing here.”

  “I don’t know, telling me that my husband used women for his own pleasure. I do think that is a great start.” It wasn’t. Not even close.

  She felt a little sick. And she didn’t like the bad taste in her mouth. Was this jealousy? Why would she feel this way about a man she had no feelings for? It made no sense.

  She hated it.

  “I’m not good with words. I never have been.”

  “I think it’s best that you go,” Alex said.

  “Roman doesn’t know what it means to care, even when he does. He says that he doesn’t have feelings for you, but I saw his face when you got shot, Alex. He cares, in his own way. You’ve just got to give him time. Give him a chance.”

  Antonio removed his hand and got to his feet.

  She watched him, curious what his game was, but he left without another word.

  Taking a sip of the hot chocolate he’d brought her, she was pleasantly surprised. It was sweet, just the way she liked it, with just the right amount of chocolate. It was … delicious.

  She took another sip and stared at the door.

  There was no way she was going to cave that easily. Roman had said he didn’t love her, that he might one day care about her, but she was a job to him. An order. Their marriage was a contract of peace and of loyalty, nothing more.

  After finishing off the hot chocolate, she threw the blankets back. Rather than go and immediately brush her teeth, she grabbed the cup and made her way downstairs toward the kitchen.

  The house was so silent, a complete contrast to when the kids were up. It had been an exciting couple of days for them, at least that was what she was told. She adored all the kids here and with her present, she noticed little Stuart had started to come out of his shell, which was good.

  Placing the cup in the sink, she stared into it at the drying remnants of hot chocolate in the bottom. She refused to leave it for anyone else, so she grabbed the scrubbing brush, turned on the warm water, and cleaned the cup.

  After she placed it on the drainer, she found a kitchen towel and got to drying it. Millie would often get her in the kitchen growing up, helping out with chores. Teaching her what it was like to run a house.

  “One day, this is going to be all yours. You’re going to need to know how to run things smoothly.”

  Alex doubted that she would own her father’s house. She always pictured herself somewhere else, like this place. Her father’s place was so large, and the rooms so empty.

  “I thought I told you that you needed to rest.”

  She spun around at the sound of Roman’s voice. “You startled me.” She stared at him, seeing his hair was a little damp from being outside. They had no choice earlier to bring the kids inside as the sunshine had turned to a sudden downpour, and it had been raining most of the day.

  The kids were gutted as Roman promised them a round of baseball. He’d even insisted Marlo, Cash, and Antonio would help.

  With how wet Roman looked, she figured it was still raining.

  “You’re supposed to be resting.”

  “I am all rested out.”

  He took a step toward her, and she rolled her eyes.

  “You keep doing that,” he said.

  She placed the cup back in its place, in the cupboard just above her head. When she moved, Roman was already there, trapping her between the counter and his rock-solid body.

  “I keep doing what?” she asked.

  “Rolling those pretty eyes.”

  She was not going to focus on the fact he said her eyes were pretty. “You keep saying the same things, Roman. How is … everything?” she asked.

  “Fine. Your dad misses you and told me to tell you that he is doing everything in his power to make it safe, and so am I.”

  She nodded.

  He was so close. The shocking blue of his eyes startled her. They were … intense, beautiful, and she couldn’t look away.

  Licking her dry lips, she tried to think of something to say, anything, but the silence was so deafening, and her heart started to race.

  “I missed you,” he said.

  “You were gone for a few hours.”

  “And yet, I spent most of those hours thinking about you. W
ondering what you were doing.”

  “Helping with the kids. Watching a movie. Sitting reading a book in bed. Not very exciting.”

  “But you had a blast?”

  “Yes.”

  “You love being around those kids,” he said.

  “Yes.”

  “You’re an amazing mother.”

  The compliment took her by surprise. The kids felt like her own. She loved them so much.

  Alex couldn’t help but drop her gaze toward his lips. They were so close, and they seemed almost inviting at that moment. The early days of their marriage a couple of months ago, his lips were stern, constantly set in a disapproving line, but now, they looked … kissable.

  They had shared one kiss, two if she counted the kiss on their wedding day.

  Why did she suddenly care about his lips? How they might feel again on her lips.

  Roman cupped her cheek, and she couldn’t help but gasp at the sudden contact.

  “I’m going to kiss you, Alex.”

  “Why?” A word that seemed to be in her vocabulary a lot just lately.

  “Because I want to.”

  She didn’t get time to question him as he suddenly slammed his lips down on hers and kissed her. No, devoured her.

  This wasn’t a chaste kiss, or a gentle, sweet locking of lips. This was possession, fire, and passion. The kind of kiss she read about in a few of the romance books she talked about. The hand on her cheek moved toward the back of her head, holding her in place as he took her lips.

  She placed her hands on his waist, not sure what to do with them, feeling a little out of place and not completely herself. Then as he deepened the kiss, his tongue tracing across her mouth, she gasped.

  Like before, Roman took full advantage, plunging his tongue in her mouth. He closed the distance between them, and then she felt the hard ridge of his cock against her.

  A whimper escaped her.

  “I need a glass of water.”

  The interruption shocked her, and she jerked back. Opening her eyes, she saw Roman staring at her.

  “Dana, sweetie,” she said. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m thirsty,” Dana said, and she put her hand up, laughing. “You’re in love.”

  Alex refused to look at Roman. She couldn’t believe she had been caught making out with her husband by this little girl. She grabbed a glass and quickly filled it with water, then handed it to Dana. The little girl took it and drank it all in one go.