Vow to Me: A Mafia Arranged Marriage (The Romano Empire Book 1)

Chapter Twenty

Imust have fallen asleep at some point because the next thing I know, I”m waking up to Luca peppering kisses along my jaw while he wraps his arms around me and lifts me up from his bed. He must have put me to bed once I fell asleep in his arms in the gym.

“Time to wake up baby, we need to clean you up,” he whispers softly in my ear, and I let out a grunt of acknowledgement as he carries me into the bathroom and sets me down in the shower since were both still naked from earlier before pulling on my hair tie to let my hair loose from its messy bun.

Unlike last time, Luca doesn’t let me wash myself—no, he takes the loofah, squirts some of the soap that smells uniquely like him and begins slowly washing me, he remains gentle as he washes my arms, chest and back.

Once he’s finished making sure my upper body is clean, he drops to his knees and begins washing my legs, slowly inching his way upwards.

“Mmm I could get used to seeing you on your knees,” I murmur.

“I’d drop to my knees and worship you anytime you like baby, I”ll treat you like the queen you are, always,” he says while staring up at me with such an intense look in his eyes that almost makes me want to break eye contact with him and continuing his way up my thighs.

He slowly inches his mouth forward and presses a light kiss to my bikini line before he starts washing away our combined releases.

“I can’t wait to taste this pussy again baby, can’t wait to feel you squeezing my fingers while you let out those sexy little mewls of yours. I’d love nothing more to bend you over again right here in the shower and fuck you so hard you see God,” he says, painting a picture in my mind and making my insides turn to lava, “but you’re sore Iz, and I never want to hurt you, ever. We’re just going to have to wait, and trust me, baby, when you’ve recovered, I’ll make it my goddamn mission to fuck you so hard you see shooting stars and I”ll make it so you can’t sit down for a fucking week. I’ll make you remember what it”s like to have me inside you every time you take a step, reminding you that your mine,” he rasps as he stands, he reaches to full height and I take the loofah from him, but before I can wash him like he did me, he turns me around and pulls me backwards, so the shower spray soaks my hair.

After thoroughly washing and conditioning my hair, Luca quickly washes himself before he turns the shower off and wraps a towel around me. He leaves me to dry myself off, just as I’m about to head back to my room to get dressed he throws a pair of his boxers and dress shirt at me.

I turn to him and raise my eyebrow, he gives me a pointed look in return that says just put the fucking clothes on, deciding this is not a hill I want to die on, I quickly dress, and we head into the lounge where Luca sets up the show I’ve been watching.

After we’ve ordered some takeout and ate dinner, I keep overthinking everything Luca said to me while we we’re in the gym, specifically about us having kids.

I can”t understand why he would say that when he needs to have kids. Thats how it works in our world, so why would he say something like that? I was ready to have sex with him either way, so why would he make a declaration like that when he knew he didn’t need too? And why—

“What are you thinking about so hard over there? What’s going on in that pretty little head baby?” he asks, interrupting my inner ramblings. I move my body to face his and he wraps an arm around my legs and placing them on his lap, gently stroking my ankle.

“Did you mean what you said in the gym?” I ask while nervously biting my lip.

“Trust me Izzy, I never say things I don’t mean, but what exactly are you referring to?”

“You said that if I didn’t want to have kids, we didn’t have to have them. But you and I both know that we need to have kids. You need to carry on your family name and the whole reason my father prop—”

“Fuck your father Izzy,” he grunts, interrupting me, “if you don’t want to have kids then we won”t have any. Simple. As. That. You don’t need to worry about what anyone else wants but yourself. Marco, or— God help us all— Enzo can carry on my family name, there’s no law that states the next in line has to be my heir. And as for your piece of shit father? Fuck him. You’re not under his thumb anymore baby, you’re not under his roof and you’re not his to control any longer. You”re my wife now, your fucking mine and I”ll always protect what is mine. So, if you want kids? Great, we”ll have as many as you like, you don’t want to have any? Thats fine, well be the cool aunt and uncle to our nieces or nephews. You don’t need to worry that pretty little head about what any fucker else wants ever again. The only people who matter are me and you, you got that?” He finishes his rant and pulls me over and maneuvers me so I’m sitting in his lap.

Holy shit, how can one man be so fucking perfect?

He really would go back on the deal he made with his father, which would cause backlash for not only him, but for his family too, all to make me happy. When I envisioned getting married, I imagined marrying a man who would start trying to get me pregnant as soon as possible, and if I happened to have a daughter like Mama? Well then, I figured I’d just have to keep having children until one of them was a boy. The only reason my parents didn’t have any more kids was because there were complications while Mama was pregnant with me. At one point, my father nearly lost us both. They both decided that it wasn’t a safe option for them to try and have any more kids.

But what about what Luca wants? Would he really miss out on being a father because I decided I didn’t want to have children? Or would he decide that the alliance he has with my father wouldn’t be worth it, considering he would be starting conflict any way if I did decide I didn’t want them, he could just divorce me and marry a woman who would happily give him whatever he wanted.

And why the hell does that make my chest grow tighter and my throat close up? Why does the thought of him marrying another woman make me feel rage bubbling inside me, trying to claw itself out? And why the hell—when all I’ve ever wanted was to be able to avoid a marriage that helps my father—do I want to do anything it takes to keep Luca as mine?

“What about you? Do you want kids?” I ask, trying to organize my thoughts.

“Honestly? I”ve never really cared whether I have them or not. I never envisioned getting married, but here we are. I’d happily raise a baby with you Izzy, but I don’t mind either way,” he says gently and gives me a small smile.

He’s been sitting patiently this entire time, giving me space to think over everything he’s put out on the table.

Who would have thought the big, bad, Mafia heir Luca Romano, could be as patient as a saint?

Not me, that’s for fucking sure.

“I know you’ll have always pictured having children for the sake of your father, but what about for yourself? Did you grow up thinking about having kids one day? The white picket fence? Did you have boyfriends you wanted all that stuff with?” Luca asks, and I can tell by the dip in his eyebrow he doesn’t like picturing me with these ‘boyfriends’.

“Is this your way of asking about my past? Because you could have just asked me directly,” I say dryly while raising my eyebrow at him to which he just stares blankly at me, as if not wanting to verbally voice his question.

Ugh, men.

“To answer your unasked question, no, there aren’t any boyfriends back home waiting for me, I haven’t had a boyfriend since freshman year of high school and that relationship only lasted a month. I don’t keep boyfriends,” I state, hoping to be done with this conversation, as inquisitive as I am about his past, I really fucking hope he keeps it to himself. Otherwise, I’ll end up sharpening my knives and going fucking hunting.

“Why not?” He asks.

“Because the men in my life always disappointed me, the only man I could ever trust was Alessi, but he ended up leaving me anyway. I never wanted to become attached to someone for them to turn right around and hurt me. I can’t get my heart broken if my heart was never involved to begin with,” I say with a shy smile and I shrug my shoulder awkwardly, this just got far too deep for my liking.

What is it about my husband that makes me want to confess all my thoughts, secrets, sins and what-the-fuck-ever-else that comes to mind?

“I’m never going to be one of those men Izzy, if you ever decide to let me into that guarded heart of yours, I’ll never leave, and I’d rather die than hurt you. I may not be able to promise you romance or all that flowery shit girls like guys to give them, but I can promise you that,” he says with a smile, making me snort like the motherfucking lady that I am.

I lean up and press a kiss to his lips which he immediately accepts, cupping my jaw and taking the kiss deeper. I pour everything into the kiss, all of my fear, my gratitude and my thankfulness that this is the man I ended up marrying. He’s a goddamn dream, a rare light shining through my darkness.

He’s everything I never knew I needed and everything I could ever want wrapped up in a sinfully handsome package.

“We need to stop, baby. If we keep going then I won”t be able to control myself, you’re too sore for all the things I want to do to you,” he groans as he pulls back from me. He wraps his arms around me, and I rest my head on his shoulder, snuggling into him before turning my attention back to the show we were watching.

And that”s how we spend the rest of our evening, cuddled up on the couch watching some show that”s so bad, it ends up being funny. We laugh and we talk and just enjoy each other”s company. I don’t know what will happen next for us, but I’ll happily sit back and find out.

I start drifting off to sleep, still perched on his lap. Luca must realize because suddenly he stands, still holding on to me and walks me to his room.

It”s an unspoken agreement that I”ll be staying in this room now too, I guess. He places me on the bed and climbs in beside me.

“I don’t know what the hell I’m doing here, Izzy. You never asked earlier, but this is the first relationship I’ve been in. We may not be conventional, but we are everything, and I”ll do whatever it takes to prove that to you,” Luca whispers to me from behind where he’s spooning me as I drift off into sleep.

I don’t think it will take much work for him to prove anything to me, because I think I already know.