AUCTIONED TO HER DAD’S MAFIA ENEMIES: A MAFIA AGE-GAP REVERSE HAREM ROMANCE (AUCTIONED SERIES Book 4)

THE BEGGING TYPE

I stick around to wash the dishes, not because I like getting my hands wet because I don’t, but because I want to catch a moment with Aemelia alone. Antonio disappears into the shower, and Luca heads outside to take breakfast to the men stationed there. The two currently passed out upstairs will be up in time for lunch, but for now, it’s just the two of us.

She watches me soap the greasy pan, arms folded, head tilted, her dark eyes filled with amusement. “You know, I didn’t think big bad mafioso like Alexis Venturi washed his own dishes.”

“We don’t.” I pass her the rinsed dish, watching as she takes it from me, her fingers brushing mine for the briefest moment. I’m shirtless, and her eyes drift over my body like trailing fingers, lingering on the tattoos and scars that mark my skin like a history of sins. “Unless the circumstances demand it. A man has to be ready for anything—war, love, washing dishes.”

She snorts, shaking her head. “That’s an interesting combination of things to be ready for.”

“And I’m ready for all of them.”

Her lips twitch, but she fights a smile. “I can see it with the first and last, but love?”

I turn toward her and catch her biting her lip like she’s enjoying herself a little more than she’d like. “You don’t think I’m ready for love.”

“Your reputation precedes you.” Her eyes flick up to meet mine, dark and full of challenge. “I’ve heard about your body count, and I don’t mean the corpse kind.”

I smirk, drying my hands on a dishcloth, amused that even a girl from Maryland has somehow discovered my sexual prowess. “Sometimes they’re like corpses after I’ve fucked their brains out.”

She barks a laugh, shaking her head as she tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear—a flirtatious move whether she’s conscious of it or not.

“So, I wanted to ask you something.”

She leans in a little closer, her scent wrapping around me, laced with something sweet and familiar. I let my gaze drop to her bare legs, exposed by the short hem of Antonio’s sweater. It should bother me, the fact that she’s wearing something of his, but strangely, it doesn’t.

“What?”

“What does a guy have to do around here to get a kiss?”

She blinks her dark eyes, her lips parting slightly in surprise. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I know you had a little something with Antonio,” I murmur, taking a slow step closer. “And last night, I saw you kiss Luca. And I’m over here feeling like a chump.”

“A chump?” She laughs, turning away as color paints the sweet apples of her cheeks, a perfect contrast to the cool confidence she usually wears like armor.

“What the hell did Luca do to get you all soft and needy?”

“I’m not soft and needy.”

“No?” I challenge, my smirk widening.noveldrama

“Well…” She hesitates, then exhales. “Maybe sometimes.” Her reluctance to admit it makes it obvious she doesn’t like feeling that way.

“So…”

“I don’t know what to tell you, Alexis.” She tilts her head feigning innocence. “Maybe it’s just a right place, right time thing.”

I rake my hand through my messy hair, watching her carefully. Her gaze follows my actions, responsive and eager. “So good looks and a charming personality don’t matter? Because I’d have been first in line if they did.”

“I didn’t realize there was a line,” she teases, her lips curving.

“Oh, baby. There’s a line.” I step even closer, backing her against the counter. “And I want you to know I’m first in line right now.”

She licks her lips—subconsciously inviting—and I track the movement, my blood running hot. “What have you done, Alexis Venturi, to deserve to be first in line?”

I tilt my head, letting my voice drop lower. This close, the scent of her mixed with my brother’s cologne invades my scenes. We’ve never shared a woman before, but then, we’ve never lived with a woman as sexy and intriguing as Aemelia. “It’s not what I’ve done,” I murmur, reaching out, brushing my fingers along her wrist, feeling the way her pulse jumps. “It’s what I could do that counts.”

Her breath catches, the flush on her cheeks deepening as she leans in, close enough that her breath warms my ear. “I thought I was your captive, Alexis. Do captives get a choice?”

My cock, already half hard, thickens and strains against my pants. I lift a hand, tracing my thumb along her jaw, tilting her chin so she’s looking right at me. “I’ve never fucked a woman who didn’t beg me for it, Aemelia.” My voice drops to a rough whisper. “And I mean, begged. On their knees, hands pressed together, pleading for my dick.”

Her breathing stutters, but she doesn’t pull away. Instead, her fingers curl around the counter.

I grin, slow and wicked, loving how easy it is to turn her on. “Tell me, kitten. Are you the begging type?”

The back door opens, drawing Aemelia’s attention away from me to Luca, who stands on the threshold, his jaw set and glacial eyes narrowed on us. I don’t pull away from Aemelia immediately, though. Luca hasn’t got a leg to stand on when it comes to keeping distance between us and our captive.

“Aemelia, you should shower,” he says coolly. “I’m sure Antonio is done by now.”

“If not, maybe you could join him like last time,” I add, smiling as her cheeks flush at whatever memory she has of Antonio’s tongue. Jealousy slides through me, not because I’m angry with my brother for getting a taste but because I want one for myself, with a fever and determination I haven’t felt in a long time, maybe not ever. Why does the forbidden fruit always seem the sweetest?

Before she answers, something flickers in her expression—uncertainty, maybe realization. She inhales sharply, then steps back, slipping past me with a grace that’s almost frustrating. “I should go upstairs,” she says, her voice quieter now.

I let her go, watching her retreat with a smirk, knowing this isn’t the end of it.

Luca steps inside just as she disappears up the stairs. “You’re playing with fire.”

I stretch my arms above my head before leaning back against the counter. “Is that your way of saying you don’t want me touching her?”

Luca’s jaw tenses. “I’m saying don’t get too close.”

I chuckle. “This coming from the guy who spent the night in her bed?”

His nostrils flare slightly. “That was different.”

I push off the counter, moving toward him. “It was?”

“She was scared. She needed comfort.”

I snort. “And if she needs comfort again? What, we take turns?”

Luca’s glare sharpens. “This isn’t a game, Alexis.”

I smirk. “Who said it was? Look, I get it. You think she’s some delicate thing who needs to be handled carefully. But let’s not forget—we paid for her virginity. If she wants to experience what it’s like to be with the Venturis, that’s her choice.”

Luca’s lips press into a thin line. “That was never part of the plan.”

“It wasn’t?”

He lets his eyelids drop slowly, exhaling like this whole conversation is paining him. “She does it for the right reasons, or not at all.”

I shrug. “We’ll see.”

He exhales sharply, shaking his head before changing the subject. “We need to talk about the video.”

I nod. “Yeah. Carlo’s still not taking the bait.”

Luca crosses his arms. “We need to be ready. This could get messy.”

I grin, my pulse thrumming with anticipation. “Messy is my favorite kind of fun, as Aemelia was about to find out.”

Luca grinds his teeth. “We send the men out to gather intel. That should be the only thing we’re interested in.”

“When Carlo is a corpse, his daughter is ours,” I say.

“If she wants to be,” is my brother’s pragmatic answer. It’s the first time he’s admitted that he wants her. The metaphorical line I was talking about is real, and I’m not remaining at the back of it until this vendetta is settled. There is nothing to do in this place except eat, watch TV and fuck, and only two of those options interest me.