The Mobster’s Flower (Men of Valor Springs #3)

Chapter Four

Vlad

Rue looks nervous as we pull away from the hospital parking lot. She drums her finger nervously on her thigh, and I almost reach over and take her hand in mine, but I am not certain as to how that would be received. Something in her demeanor has shifted since we got in the car and the tension sits heavily between us.

You called her a good girl and she practically melted on the spot.

I shake my head and focus on the road, trying to shake free the image of Rue’s flushed cheeks and stuttered breaths when I praised her. No, I can’t focus on that. It’s clear this girl is as pure as the freshly fallen snow, not to mention that she’s about the same age as my baby sister.

Still, there’s something about her that calls to me. I want to take care of her, to keep her close and protect her like she’s something precious. Because she is. Even though she lost her business when my sister’s car destroyed her cart, she still put Arya—a stranger—first. She calmed my sister when she was scared and didn’t leave her side until I arrived at the hospital. I’ve been around enough to know few people would do that.

So here I am, driving away from the hospital with a clearly nervous girl in my passenger seat. One who is seconds away from springing open the door and jumping out. I can tell from the way she keeps clenching and unclenching her fingers on her lap.

“If you are terrified to be alone with me, you can call someone and let them know.”

“That would only make them nervous,” she snarks, causing my lips to twitch with a smile.

“I don’t know what you’ve heard about me, but contrary to what some people think, I don’t actually eat babies for breakfast.”

“I haven’t heard anything about you,” she whispers, pressing her head against the headrest. “I didn’t need to. I saw how everyone treated Arya after the accident and at the hospital.”

That gives me pause. “And how was that?”

Rue is quiet for a moment, and I almost think she’s not going to tell me when she finally does. “They were scared of her, like if they made one wrong move, there’d be hell to pay.”

I grit my teeth and stare at the road ahead. I understand the town’s fear for me. Unlike most people, I don’t forgive when slighted and can go overboard when I need to make a point, but I never imagined that their fear would extend to my sister. It makes some sense, I suppose. Despite my best efforts to shield her, it’s no secret that Arya is the most important person in my life.

“What about you, are you afraid of me?”

I don’t need to turn to her to see her watching me. I can feel her gaze on my skin, warm and caressing. “I don’t have a reason to be scared of you. I don’t know you,” she says. “But I can’t dismiss the fact that the whole town seems to be. Though, I admit your presence makes me a little nervous.”

“What about it does?”

“Your eyes,” she blurts out, and I can tell she didn’t mean to say that bit out loud with the way she quickly looks away.

“What about my eyes?”

“I… Never mind. I didn’t mean to say that.”

I decide to let it go. For now. The rest of the time is spent in silence as I drive us to the other side of town. The buildings grow fewer and further between until there are no more. I can tell she isn’t paying much attention to where we’re headed, and it’s not until I’ve stopped the car that she snaps to focus.

“We’re here,” I tell her, pushing the car door open and climbing out.

Rue follows me, her eyes wide with confusion as she does so. “Where’s here?” she asks, her hair swinging about as she turns around to make sense of our surroundings. There is a part of me that wants to dig my fingers into that thick hair and feel its texture. I want to bury my nose in it and smell the sweet flowery scent I caught earlier.

Did she use real flowers to make her hair smell like that, and…does the rest of her smell that way too?

My cock swells in my pants the longer I watch her. It aches with the need to shove her against the car, tear off that dress, and rut her like a dog. We’re alone in a deserted place. I can make her scream with pleasure, and this far away from town, no one would hear her.

Which is the point behind the warehouse’s location—to not be heard—but I’ll keep that bit of trivia to myself.

I clench my fists and slide them into my pockets, walking away before I touch the girl because I know I will not stop when I do. She is a new obsession I cannot understand. Rue has this effect on me that no other woman has ever come close to.

She makes it hard for me to resist her, and God, am I trying.

“This way,” I tell the confused girl, walking toward the only structure in sight.

“Wait, what are we doing here?”

I don’t respond, stopping at a keypad just outside the entrance. I type in a code, then press my thumb to the bio scanner. There’s a pneumatic hiss, then the large door begins to roll upward, allowing us entry. With a hand at the small of her back, I guide Rue inside my mostly empty warehouse. Rue hesitates before stepping to my side and looking around.

“What is this place?” she asks, her voice echoing through the large space.

“My warehouse. It’s not in use right now, I’ve only just bought it. But there are still some things the previous owner left in the back. One of them is a vendor cart I think might suit you until I can replace the one that was destroyed.”

She shakes her head, ringlets of her hair dancing around as she does so. “I appreciate the offer, but you don’t need to do that. It sounds like the accident wasn’t Arya’s fault. I’m just glad no one was seriously injured and that Arya will be alright.”

“I insist,” I tell Rue, before walking deeper into the cavernous space, giving her no choice but to follow.

What I’d told her is true. I only recently purchased this warehouse. Eventually, it will serve as a distribution center of sorts for my family’s mostly legitimate manufacturing business. The floors are clean, lined with white tiles, and the walls are polished concrete. The roof is high enough to catch an echo, and it’s empty. For now, this is where we temporarily store our weapons and counterfeit money before moving it to a place where the cops can’t find it, but we had a transfer a few days ago, and the warehouse will not be used for at least another week or so.

The back storage area has a few things left by the previous owners, including a vendor stand. It’s older and not much to look at it, but it’s still serviceable and should tide Rue over until I can order a replacement for the one she lost. I make a mental note to have my assistant check if we have any contacts with greeneries in the area. A flower stand is no good without stock.

When we reach the storage area, I pull the sheet of the cart and turn to Rue. “I know it’s not the prettiest thing to look at, but I’m sure it’ll look better once you’ve stocked it. And you’ll only have to use it for however long it takes for your new one to arrive. I’ll order it today and put a rush on delivery. If you’re willing to use this one for now, I’ll have it delivered to Annie’s later today.”

For several long moments, Rue is silent, staring at the vendor cart with an unreadable expression. Then suddenly, a dam breaks, and everything I suspect she’s been holding in since the accident bursts free.

“Do you have any idea how much work I put into opening my own flower stand?” She turns to face me, and there is a fire burning in her teary eyes. “I spent nearly all of my money—every penny that hadn’t already gone to the cart itself—on the flowers, which I had to get from a different town because Valor Springs doesn’t have any greeneries. Even the next town over didn’t have all the flowers I wanted, so I had to go to yet another one to order the stock I needed. And maybe the owners could see my desperation because they overcharged me; I knew what they were doing, but I didn’t have a choice. I couldn’t get the flowers anywhere else. Then I had to jump through more hoops than a show dog to get a business license. Don’t even get me started on the permit. When I applied for it, they misplaced my paperwork, and I had to start the process all over again, which took me weeks…”

She begins pacing the room, her voice growing louder and more passionate as she speaks. “…And then, a few days before opening, one of the flower vendors told me he’d gotten a better offer and would cancel on me if I couldn’t match it. Can you believe that! I could have sued that asshole for breach of contract, but I didn’t want to drag it out, so I paid him the price he was asking for. I had to call my parents and beg them for a loan to pay the vendor the money he was wanted.”

I watch her silently as she rages on and on about all the hurdles she’s had to jump to finally get her business running, but then she stops, and her voice drops to a whisper. “After all that, I didn’t even get to sell my first rose before they were crushed.”

She sniffs, turning around to face me, her expression sullen. “I’m not mad at Arya, please don’t get me wrong,” she says. “Accidents happen all the time, right? I know she didn’t mean it, but it got me wondering if the universe is trying to tell me something.”

“And what’s that?” I speak for the first time since she started raging.

“That maybe I ought to think about a different career path.” She takes a step toward me. “Maybe I wasn’t meant to be a florist. I’m twenty-one. I can learn about other things, right?”

Jesus Christ, she’s twenty-one. I knew she was young, but twenty-one! She is sixteen years younger than me and only a little older than Arya.

Rue doesn’t seem to share my opinion as she steps into my space, her gaze a mix of nerves, fear, and hope. “You don’t think it’s too late, do you?”

“Too late for what?”

“To learn something new.”

“You are twenty-one,” I rasp, and fuck, even saying the words out loud feels forbidden.

“I know, but I’ve wanted to be a florist since…forever. I worked in greenhouses during the summer holidays learning about flowers, how to grow them, what each flower represents, and all that stuff. I don’t know how to do anything else.”

“Rue, you are twenty-one,” I say again, wincing at my words. “You can do whatever the hell you want with your life. Either way, I will compensate you for the loss you incurred, starting with this.” I gesture to the cart, and her eyes track the movement. She approaches it and runs her fingers along the edge.

“You’re being more than generous,” she says, crossing back to me, and fuck, the girl smells like a fucking field of flowers in spring. “This cart is great. If you really don’t need it, I can use it for my flower stand. You don’t need to get another replacement; this one is will work.”

Now I know what Rue looks like when she’s lying. This vendor cart is anything but great. There is rust along the bottom edges, the canopy at the top is faded and torn, and I can see at least two flat tires. “This cart is two steps from the junkyard. But it’s all I can offer you right now. You’re getting a replacement that is just as good as the one you lost, maybe better if I can manage it.” I take a step closer to her and infuse my tone with steel, the way I do when speaking with the men who work for me. I’m not letting Rue give me no for an answer on this one.

She glares at me, her lips pouting slightly as she does. She seems to waging some kind of internal battle for a moment, but she doesn’t back away from me. We’re so close, her chest nearly brushes mine as she breathes.

“I don’t understand why you’re so adamant about this, but thank you,” she says, closing the last inch between us by wrapping her arms around me in a sudden embrace. A hug is the last thing I expected from this girl, and it causes my cock to jump in my pants at the contact. The air grows heavy, and my breathing picks up at feel of her pressed against me.

God help me, how am I supposed to resist this girl when the slightest touch sets my whole body on fire? The way she caresses my back with a satisfied hum as I wrap my arms around her is sweet, but it sends heat licking up my body and slowly melting what little control I’m clinging to. The sound is so soft, I’m not sure she even realizes she’s doing it.

But when I look down at her and her eyes meet mine, I can clearly see her pupils are blown wide with lust, so dilated her olive-green irises are barely visible.

“Vlad,” she whispers, and I realize this is the first she’s said my name, but I don’t focus on that as she’s already pressing up against me. I clench my teeth when I feel her small, perky tits press hard against my chest. I don’t think she knows what her body is asking for. I put my hands on her hips and pull her tighter against me, letting her feel the effect her proximity is having on me.

Fuuuck!

“What do you want, little girl?” I ask her.

“This,” she says, her voice hoarse with desire and shyness. “You.”

“You better be sure about this, Rue,” I grind out through the lump in my throat, running the back of my hand over her soft cheeks. Her eyes flutter dazedly when I caress her jaw, but they snap open when I wrap her curly red hair around my fist and tug lightly. “I am nothing like the boys you’ve dated before. I’ll wreck you.”

“I want that,” she whispers, her tits rising and falling quickly the longer I stare into her pretty green eyes.

“You better take my words seriously,” I growl, running my eyes over her flushed expression. “If I touch you the way I want to, there will be no stopping until your back is to this wall and you are riding my dick.”

She sucks in a sharp breath, her eyes flashing with blind trust, but really, she shouldn’t trust me. I would never do anything to hurt her, at least not consciously, but with desire pushing for me to claim her, I don’t know how much of my hunger I can keep at bay.

I want her.

Fuck, I crave her with such hunger, it terrifies me, and I am not a guy that scares easy.

My eyes drop to her cherry-red lips, and like the rest of her, they are perfect. Held in a slight pout, begging for a kiss, and slowly, my control or whatever shred of it I am grasping onto shatters.

Her eyes flutter to a close when I lower my mouth to hers, but I stop, staring at her flushed face as she waits for me to kiss her. I can’t believe that despite what she may or may not have heard about me, she’s still willing to be vulnerable with me.

“Kiss me,” she whispers, her eyes firmly shut.

And so, I do.

I close the distance between us and crash my lips down on hers. Her lips part for me and she makes a low noise at the back of her throat that leaves me weak. A rough groan climbs my throat as I deepen the kiss, licking our tongues together in feral need. She whimpers, bringing her hands to my shoulders and returning the kiss. It’s wet and needy, and my head grows light from her intoxicating scent and taste.

Everything about this girl reminds me of spring. She is like a breath of fresh air, and I kiss her like her lips hold the very oxygen I need to live.

With a low groan, I drop my hands from her hair to her ass cheeks, squeezing the mounds over her dress even as I lick into her sexy little mouth.

“You should stop me,” I rasp, pulling back from her lips. Her arms are locked around my neck, and I watch as her tongue sneaks out to lick her swollen lips. She doesn’t open her eyes to look at me even as she shakes her head.

“I don’t want to stop… Oh!” She gasps when I rock forward, pinning my hard cock against her.

“Feel how hard I am for you?” I ask, my voice coming out much harsher than I want it to. “Do you want me to fuck you and take your virginity here on this fucking warehouse floor?”

Her eyes shoot open, and she blinks owlishly at me; it’s almost comical except I don’t find it funny. Not at all. I am ready to fuck this girl against the warehouse wall. Rut her tight, young pussy until she is yelling with pleasure at the top of her lungs, but now it seems that will not happen.

Not in this fucking warehouse, it won’t. She deserves more than that.

“H-how did you know?”

Fuck! I wanted to be wrong because then that would make me feel like less of an opportunistic douchebag. “You are either an awkward kisser, or you are new to this. My bet is you’ve never kissed anyone in your life.”

“I’m not a good kisser? You didn’t like it?”

“I more than liked it.” A little too much, and that’s the fucking problem . I should have at least a shred of self-control or fucking self-awareness when I am kissing this girl, but feeling her lips pressed against mine and knowing they’ve never touched another man has my gut tightening with both need and pleasure.

I spin her around so her back is facing the wall, pinning my dick hard against her sex and fighting the need to tear off the clothes standing between me and her hot center.

“I want you,” she whimpers.

“There is no way in hell I am fucking you for the first time in a dirty warehouse!” I growl, squeezing her ass as I rock my cock against her, savoring the feeling for a few moments before finally pulling back.

“Vlad,” she whines.

“Not here,” I say again, putting a little more space between us. My eyes drop to her heaving chest and then shift to her flushed face. “I will give you what you want, but…not here.”

With that, I turn around and walk away before I can change my mind and fuck her fast and hard against the rough, dirty wall like everything inside me is begging me to do. No, this isn’t about what I want anymore, but what she deserves.

And Rue doesn’t deserve for her virginity to be taken in such a place.