Sold to the Mob Boss: A Mafia Romance (Lavrin Bratva) Nicole Fox (most popular novels TXT) 📖

Then I hear the scuffle of dirt. She’s jumping. The branches part to give way to Annie as she slices down. I have just a split second to register the fear in her eyes before she lands in my arms. I bend my knees to absorb her impact. It takes everything I have, especially given the pain in my shoulder and knee, but I manage to keep my feet.

I set her down on her feet. But I hold her close, unwilling to let her go just yet. Heat and electricity course through my blood at having her body so close to mine. Her scent invades my nose. A mixture of sweat, lilac, and something wholly Annie. I hold onto her for longer than I should.

She’s wincing. I look down and notice a thin trickle of blood between her toes. The wounds on her feet must have opened up again. “We’re almost there. Can you keep walking?” I say.

“Yes.”

She waits for me to lead, but she doesn’t let go of my hand. My pace is slower as I guide her through the thicket. It’s only a few dozen paces after the jump, but I’m moving carefully in the dark, placing every step just so in order to keep us safe in the night. Then I push aside a hanging curtain of moss and glide past.

“We’re here.”

I stop at the edge of the clearing and take it in. Everything is as I remember. The fallen stumps my father and I would sit on as we ate. The remnants of the firepit stones, arranged in a rough circle from our last visit. Even the old tin bucket I forgot to take back home still remains, though years have passed since it was last used.

The moonlight shines through the gap in the treetops, casting the whole place in a smooth, otherworldly glow. Beneath our feet, there is soft grass, like a blanket laid down in the middle of the forest.

“This place is beautiful,” Annie says, releasing her fingers from mine and walking to the center of the clearing. I feel a soft tingle where I was holding her hand.

She stops in the middle, tilts her head up, and grins. Her smile shines like stars after dark, with no city lights to dim them. I admire her while she admires the night sky. These past two days, I couldn’t wait to get home to her, to have her and taste her. And now that I have, I’m not so sure I’ll be able to give her up.

I follow her gaze to the starry night above. It’s a brilliant van Gogh, everything bigger and brighter, sharper and closer. It feels like the sky is pressing down on us. Like I could reach a hand up and touch it if I wanted to.

“You and your father came here a lot?”

I turn to look at Annie. She’s looking back at me with a curious, unreadable emotion in her eyes. “Yes. This was our little hideaway. We’d camp here once a year.”

“Do you miss him?”

The question surprises me, like a blow to the chest. “I’ve never thought about that before. I guess ... yes, I do.” I haven’t said that even once since the day he died. It feels uncomfortable and yet oddly relieving. “You should sit,” I say, changing the subject. “I’m sure your feet need the rest.”

She walks over to me. “Not before we take care of your wound. It’s pretty deep.”

“I’m out of luck if stitches are needed.”

She shakes her head. “Luckily, I grabbed some butterfly closures from the medicine cabinet.”

“Okay, little bird. Fix me up.” I untie the makeshift bandage, then unbutton my shirt and take it off. The crisp air hits my skin and goose bumps spring to life. Though, I’m not sure if they’re from the cold air or the way Annie’s eyes run over my body. My cock twitches when her eyes rove down to my zipper.

Annie blushes when she notices I’ve caught her staring. Her eyes dart around as she tries to avoid me. She absently twirls a stray lock of hair between her fingers before she points to the left. “Um, let’s sit over on the log so I can take care of that,” she says and hurries away from me.

I sit down as Annie pulls supplies from the bag. She lays them out on the ground then looks me over once more. She grabs the peroxide and, with her other hand, spreads open my wound before she squirts the antiseptic liquid onto it. I flinch from the initial burn, my teeth sinking into my inner cheek. “Fuck, that hurts.”

“Trust me, I know,” she says, tilting her head down towards her feet.

I run my hand through my hair and sigh. Both of us could do with some serious medical care and rest. But it won’t happen tonight.

She nods and continues cleaning out my wound. Then, she pats it down to dry the skin around it before placing the butterfly closures on it. Once she’s done, she places a fresh gauze square over the wound and rewraps the piece of the sweatpants she cut up earlier to hold everything in place.

When she’s finished, she slaps her palms down on her thighs, a proud smile plastered across her face. “All done.”

I place a finger under Annie’s chin and tip it up so that her eyes meet mine. “Thank you.” The air around us is charged, vibrating. Again, I stare deeply into her eyes, wondering which side of her is winning the war in her mind and heart.

She snorts and pulls away from my grasp, busying herself by putting all of the supplies away. “Finally, the mob boss learns some manners.”

I open my mouth to retort and then close it again. Annie smiles shyly, pats my arm, and then sits next to me on the ground, a slight shiver running through her body. I wrap my arm around her and pull her closer.