Marrying the Mob Prince

CLAIRE

He came inside.

Unfortunately, not in the way I wanted. But the sex-charged air crackled with electricity as Cainan crossed the threshold, his hand clutching mine. As soon as he closed the door behind him, I felt like I’d lost control of the situation. I felt as breathless, tongue-tied, and nervous as a teenaged girl. Not because he intimidated me. I was afraid he knew that I couldn’t deal with how much I wanted him.

“Nice digs,” he commented, edging his thick arms from his coat. “It suits you.”

“Thanks.”

He hung it on the rack, smiling. I sucked in a sharp breath, simply because he’d taken off an article of clothing. My gaze traveled over the rich outlines of his shoulders, straining against his polo. His every movement seemed precise as we stood within a pulse-pounding distance. Cainan’s rakish smile sent a flutter down my curves.

I cleared my throat. “About earlier…I shouldn’t have run off. It was childish.”

“You don’t owe me an explanation,” he said, his gentle murmur heating up my face. “It’s fine.”

“I can’t believe she told you.” I disengaged from him, my body burning as I slipped into the kitchen. “I don’t know what’s gotten into my sister. She’s acting so weird.”

“I’ll bet.”

“Do you have any siblings?”

“One, I think.” An ancient heaviness sat in his eyes. “A half-brother on my dad’s side. I’m not close with him.”

“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Don’t be. Never been a huge fan of my family.”

I couldn’t fathom not having anyone. “My sister and I used to be close…something’s wrong with her. She won’t tell me anything, and it’s obvious why.” I reached for the blender in the cupboard and banged it on the counter. “She thinks I can’t handle bad news. That’s why she’s keeping things from me and behaving like a mother hen.”

He bowed his head. “I doubt that very much.”

“Why?”

Cainan heaved a sigh as he leaned against the stove, a giant in the tiny kitchen. “Sometimes, people go through difficult times in life…seasons. Maybe she’s going through a season. You mentioned that she was recently engaged. Perhaps she’s adjusting to her new fiance. She’ll come back to you, Claire.”

“Maybe.” I swallowed tightly and opened the fridge, knowing he was right but still feeling disgruntled. “Want a green smoothie?”

He made a face. “Do I have a choice?”

I smirked, pulling out the ingredients. I’d foisted them on him ever since I’d noticed the dark circles under his eyes, the strain tightening his jaw, and the crappy takeout he ate most days of the week. His demanding job kept him overworked and stressed, except when he took time off to be with me.

Cainan’s body warmed my back. He played with my hair as I chucked pea protein, lemon juice, celery, kale and frozen banana inside the blender. As it pulsed the contents, he grabbed two glasses from the cupboard.

I turned the machine off and removed the lid. Cainan held out the glasses as I poured. He handed one to me after I put the blender in the sink. Then I pulled him into the living room where we both sank onto my threadbare couch. We tapped our glasses together. Cainan hesitated before drinking. His stern gaze had the air of an Olympic diver about to jump. Then he chugged his smoothie, wincing. “I don’t know how you drink these every day.”

I bopped my fist on his knee. “Hey, they’re good for you.”

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “They’re foul.”

“You need the nutrients, Cainan. Your diet of General Tso’s chicken and whiskey will put you in an early grave. The consumption of junk food is directly related to stress. It affects everything.”ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“Even your gut microbes. I know. I actually read the studies you send me.”

I flushed with pleasure, finishing my smoothie. I set it down and nuzzled his shoulder as a wave of sleepiness hit me. I felt peaceful for the first time in ages. A buzzing warmth filled my chest.

Cainan watched me intently. “How are you feeling?”

“Really tired. Dizzy.”

He nodded. “It’ll pass.”

“Wow, I’m beat.” I tried to lift my head, but it was too heavy. “I’m so sorry. I don’t think I can stay awake.”

“Then close your eyes.”

“No,” I moaned. “I want to be with you.”

“I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

Cainan’s pulled me over his lap. He felt so warm. I leaned into him with a happy sigh. Then I felt across his chest, my arousal sharpening. I stroked his shoulders and swept to his clean-shaven jaw.

He inhaled sharply. Then he released his breath slowly, the sound vibrating into my core. I felt his head turn, his mouth perilously close.

“Claire. Go to sleep.”

“I’d rather enjoy you.” I thrust my fingers through his curls and raked the back of his neck. “You smell so good.”

He made a delicious, rumbling noise. His hand wrapped around my waist. He squeezed, his touch ironing me through my dress. “I enjoy you, too. But you shouldn’t tempt me.”

“Why?”

He kissed my cheek. Then he disengaged from me and stood. Without his support, I slumped into the cushions. Cainan rearranged my limbs into a more comfortable position and slid a pillow under my head. Until he did that, I didn’t realize how little strength remained in my body. I was utterly worn out.

But why was I so drowsy?

It was only four. Minutes ago, I was buzzing with nerves. Suddenly I needed sleep so badly I couldn’t stand?

This made no sense. I had to get up. I planted my feet and pushed with my legs, but the world spun violently. Cainan appeared out of nowhere. His hand nudged my shoulder, forcing me onto the couch.

“Stay.”

I pouted. My body’s unwillingness to cooperate annoyed me. Everything kept spinning, and my vision couldn’t focus. The sea of movement swirled the contents of my stomach, and I lifted myself-only for my knees to give out.

The carpet slammed into my elbows. I groaned, clinging to the floor as it seemed to rock like a boat. I hadn’t felt this awful since freshman year, when I overestimated how much I was drinking and stood up too quickly. Fog obscured my thoughts.

Gentle fingers curled under my body and lifted. I swung backward into a male chest that engulfed me in a befuddling warmth. Cainan held me close, his finger sliding in the drool gathered at the corner of my mouth.

What’s happening to me?

I was losing consciousness. Stay awake. I couldn’t form a thought to explain my growing alarm because I was in his arms. He was so beautiful, so powerful, and the tender way he held me was perfect. I felt like a swooning bride on my wedding day.

“I’ll never forget the last few weeks.” He lowered his head, his lips brushing my cheek. Sparks showered my face as he lingered there. “I’ll break your body and your spirit, but for this moment, at least you willingly gave me your heart.”

I blinked, struggling to gather my bearings.

“I’m bringing you into a life you don’t know, that you won’t understand, but you must survive. You’ll need to be strong for what I’m going to do to you. For what they might do to you.”

Break my body…my spirit? Suddenly, it hit me that Cainan was not whispering sweet nothings. My abdomen tensed as he stood, carrying me like a sack of laundry. He dropped me on the bed.

I rubbed my aching head. “I don’t feel right.”

“That’s because I drugged you.”

I smoldered, not impressed by the joke, but Cainan made no apology. His eyes glowed with a hard intensity that bottomed out my stomach. Then he revealed the pill bottle in his jacket pocket. “I slipped two sedatives in your smoothie.”

“You didn’t.”

“I did.”

I choked on my saliva, unable to accept this horrifying development. My pulse hammered in my ears. Cainan drugged me? What the fuck? He’d been nothing but a perfect gentleman. He respected my boundaries. If I told him I needed space, he listened. He never made me feel pressured. He was so attuned to my needs that he’d memorized every vegan restaurant in the city…and the way he glowed with happiness when we did something together…nobody could fake that. He’d accommodated my every need, and yet…he’d drugged me. Nausea roiled through me.

“Where did you get the drugs?”

It wasn’t the most important question-and he knew it. What was he going to do to me? My mind refused to go there.

“I have a guy,” he said in his low, unhurried cadence. “They’re handy for situations like these.”

Situation.

What a neutral way to discuss drugging me. My pulse spiked as I dwelled on his second sentence. His casual delivery seemed to suggest it was easy for him. He’d done this before. My stomach clenched tight as I searched for an escape, but Cainan stood by the door and I’d never get by him in this state.

“Cainan,” I whispered, hating the plea in my voice. “You don’t have to do this…we could go on another date.”

He smiled an unapologetic grin, his hand brushing my knee. “There won’t be any more dates.”

What did that mean? His raking gaze seemed to indicate he wasn’t done with me. He didn’t have to say anything more. The threat was implied in his touch, his stance over the bed, in his casually arrogant words. He would violate me. He would hurt me.

“I’ll tell you more once we’re on the plane.”

“W-what?” I felt like a broken record, still stuck on the fact that this seemingly sweet man had drugged me. “Plane?”

“Yes,” he snapped, his voice growing in severity. “I’m taking you away.”

“Where?”

“On a vacation.”

Laughter threatened to bubble from my throat, but I tamped it down. I gaped at him, more and more alert despite the sedatives coursing through my system. My body refused to acknowledge the severity of the situation, but my anxious mind galloped ahead. A danger sign flashed in my head. I lifted myself to a sitting position. Somehow, I’d regained my motor control. I spilled from the bed and gripped the bedspread like an anchor. He lifted me and pushed me onto the mattress.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“I…I need to use the bathroom.”

I cursed myself for the lame attempt to distract him, but my mind wasn’t firing on all cylinders. The drug coated me in a medicated calm, but I felt my anxiety underneath it, roaring like a river under ice.

I gingerly stood and headed for the bathroom. I walked slowly, as though Cainan might charge at me. I took the doorknob gingerly, as though it might bite. Both of us knew I had no intention of going inside. My hand trembled so hard the doorknob rattled.

“Please,” I begged, my composure cracking. “I don’t know what you want from me.”

“Don’t you?”

I forced a challenge in my voice. “I want you to leave right now.”

He moved to stand in front of me. His eyes burning, he pushed me backward until my knees hit the mattress. He patted my shoulder like I was a doll. Cainan gave me a scorching look before he seized a suitcase from my closet, flinging it on the bed. He began emptying my drawers into the luggage. He didn’t look at me as he packed. My patience frayed as he ignored me.

“Why are you packing my things?”

He slammed the lid of the suitcase, and I jumped. “Because I’m kidnapping you.”

“You slipped sleeping pills into my drink to kidnap me?”

“Yes.”

I dug my nails into the comforter. “Where are you bringing me?”

He checked his watch, his brows furrowing. “You shouldn’t be awake.”

“What made you do this? You’re not…you don’t hurt people.” I bleated, my speech so slurred I could barely understand myself. “This is not you!”

He shook his head with a smile. “You don’t know a damned thing about me.”

My throat tightened. “I don’t?”

“I lied about everything.”

My mind exploded. “What-what do you mean?”

“I lied about my job. My parents. My last name.” Cainan banged drawers in my adjoining bathroom, rifling through their contents. “Where I went to school. About my passion for environmentalism. About why I asked for your number.”

Indie was right.

My walls collapsed, and my heart drowned in an agony that I couldn’t fully appreciate. I swallowed hard, my mind a crazy mixture of hope and fear. As he zipped up the suitcase, an unwelcome tension stretched between us. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself, but this was happening.

Would I fight him?

I couldn’t let this happen without a fight. If I fought, he might hurt me. Would I rather suffer the consequences of being kidnapped? Fight. Escape. Adrenaline coursed through my body as I balled my shaking hands.

Cainan’s mouth twitched as he left the bathroom, his amused gaze landing on my clenched fists. “Are you going to fight me, little Starling?”