The Mafia’s Wanted Desires

ASHLEY

“Baby, you alright in there?!” I yelled out to the man in the bathroom. He had been in there for a while and I knew he wasn’t just bathing. He kept the shower running as a decoy, so he could use that time to clear his head.

I had been out of the bathroom over ten minutes ago and I was almost done with my skincare routine while he was still hiding in there from God knows what.

“Yes, Peach. I am fine!” He yelled back and my reflection in the mirror grew red in my cheeks. It beats me how badly he had me wrapped around his fingers because the slightest thing he did earned a shitload of reaction from me. No, it wasn’t the first time I was hearing him speak, but he had a way of sounding different every damn time. Before I could stop myself, I was grinning from ear to ear in no time.

A sugary giggle emitted from me as I dabbed a generous amount of serum on my face, massaging it into my skin.

“Come on out, you know you will always look good to me, even if you are covered in soap,” I urged him with a smile on my face and I heard his chuckle resonate throughout the room.

“I’ll be right out, baby.” He answered and I nodded as though he could see me. I patted my skin and grinned, taking a moment to appreciate how flawless I looked. I looked so different. Too different, even. This woman who gazed back at me in the mirror looked happy like she had everything all under control.

Like things were finally working her way.

Besides, we had a wedding coming up soon and I didn’t want to be caught looking like shrimp. So, I have all the time in the world to invest in my skincare routine right now.

The soft creaking of the door had me diverting my gaze from the mirror to the entrance of the ensuite bathroom where my husband stood with a towel lazily wrapped around his waist. He looked immersed in drying off his hair with the white towel in his hands. His ripped body glistened with droplets of water from the shower and from where I sat, I could pick up on the scent of his body wash.

“Well, hello there,” I mumbled seductively, falling back into my chair and staring at him to my heart’s content. He paused what he was doing and looked up to face me. Nothing could have prepared me for the clearness of his eyes. They were bright and sensual.

His thick lashes flapped against each other now and then, making him look too good to be true. My breath hung in my throat, drying up all the saliva I had in my mouth. His eyes weren’t at their most intense yet I wanted to reach out and touch them because they fascinated me so much and struck every core of my soul.

“Fuck, come here.” He instructed softly and I got up from the stool immediately like it was stacked with a bag of hot coal that burned my buttocks. I ambled forward like a little girl, walking into his arms. One of his arms was thrown around my waist, tugging me to his chest. I threw my hands around his neck, maintaining eye contact with him.

“You make keeping my hands to myself so hard.” He confessed and I giggled. His palm connected with the back of my head and his lips met mine, weakening my legs. My defences waned as he moved his lips against mine, savouring every inch of it like he had all the time in the world. He kissed me like I was the only thing that mattered to him in a way that eased all of my unconsciously heightened nerves. He kissed me like I was the only thing that made sense in his life and made me forget whose air I was breathing.

I gave up control as his tongue dominantly explored every corner of my mouth, sending a tingling sensation everywhere his hands touched. He growled into my mouth when I slipped my fingers into his hair. I felt my feet leave the ground and my butt meet the surface of my dresser, sending my beauty products to the ground.

I broke off the kiss, chuckling at his impatience.

“What did I tell you about breaking my beauty products?” I queried, sternly, trying to catch my breath.

“We’ll get you new ones.” He said huskily, slipping his hands underneath the dress and getting rid of my panties in one swift move. He stepped forward but I stopped him with a jab of my finger. I was horny as hell, but it didn’t mean he wouldn’t learn his lessons.

“I’ll allow you to touch me when you have learnt your lesson,” I said with an innocent look and his eyes went wide.

“What? No!” He cried.

“What do you want me to do about this?” He asked, pointing to his bulge, and I shrugged.

“Take a shower.” I grinned.

“You are no fun!” He huffed and stormed into the closet. I couldn’t fight the raucous laughter that tumbled out of my mouth in waves. If there was anything I knew, it was the fact that Arden was so petty and he would undoubtedly get back at me for doing that to me. I was okay with it, as long as I got to teach him a lesson.

A light smile danced on my lips as I cracked my knuckles. For a fleeting moment, my eyes darted to my slightly reddish wrists. The memories of the other night hit me in waves, causing me to suck in a breath. I have never felt something so intense that way. Every one of my emotions was heightened and in overdrive. Every feeling was amplified. It was torturous but I loved it.

And I wanted it to be done to me again.

I wanted to be tamed that way. I wanted to beg for an orgasm. To beg to be tainted. I loved the sick control he had over me that night. It was deep, evoking and mind-numbing. It was everything I never knew I wanted until I tasted it and it has left me craving more. I have always wanted a connection so consuming, so fiery with a little rush of danger even. Just the right amount of darkness but real.

“I hurt you, didn’t I?” His cold tone pulled me out of my daydream and I flinched at his coldness. I blinked rapidly and dropped my hand, looking toward the entrance of the closet where he seemed to have been standing all this while, watching me in silence.

“No, baby. You didn’t hurt me.” I said sincerely, walking over to him, but he didn’t allow me to meet him halfway because his next words threw me off.Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

“How convenient,” he muttered sarcastically.

He wants to pick a fight with me. I have lived with this man for months now and it felt like I have been married to him for years. Hence, the reason I was always able to deduce his next actions. I had grown to understand him so much and know him so well. I was connected to him in a way I haven’t fully understood.

“I didn’t hurt you but you have been keeping your sleeves covered.” He snorted in mockery, his voice filled with derision.

“Arden!” I shunned him, walking towards him.

“I kept it covered because of this,” I whispered, shaking my head, gesturing at how he was acting like he was slowly going out of his mind.

“Because of this exact reaction.”

“Heaven knows I want nothing more than to not keep them covered. It’s a reminder of what we shared that night. A reminder that you bore your soul to me as I did mine to you. A reminder that we became one that night.” My voice reduced to a whisper and I closed in on him, tilting his face so he could look at me.

“I choose you, Arden. Even when I didn’t know it. Even when I didn’t realise it,” I proclaimed.

“I love everything that comes with you. The good, the bad and the one in between. Everything.” I said quietly, smiling at him. He released a sigh, easing into my touch with his eyes closed. He pulled me closer, dropping a kiss on my forehead.

He held me in his protective embrace like he was so scared of letting me go.

“I’ll be damned if I ever let you go.” He mumbled, kissing my hair, and I grinned like a child, wrapping my arms around his midsection. Well, I didn’t want him to let me go either.

“I know it’s the weekend, baby.” He spoke up like he had something to tell me. He knew I was listening and I didn’t have to raise my head from his chest for him to continue.

“But, I have been meaning to show you something and there’s something I’d like to do today.” He voiced out. Now, that earned a reaction from me.

“What’s that?” I asked softly, looking up at him.

“Come with me.” He said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes and that made me worried immediately, bringing a frown to my face, but I chose to trust him, so I followed him out of the room.

________________

I knew I wasn’t exaggerating when I said there were places in this house I hadn’t been to. That I had not gotten the chance to tour and I was right because I had never been to this wing of the house. If it were another person leading me through an overly quiet hallway, I would freak out, but Arden wasn’t just anyone. I trusted him with my whole life, not to mention how he held on to me so securely.

He swiped a key card at the door and it beeped, unlocking itself. He led me into the room and found his way to the side of the wall with the switch, flicking it on. My words died at the tip of my tongue. My feet were glued to the ground, and my eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

For one, this room looked old but it didn’t in any way diminish its beauty and it wasn’t just a room. It was an art studio.

The multi-coloured canvases and the smell of paint that lingered in the air proved that. There were some of the canvases that had black clothing over them, and despite the room being old, it was extremely neat. The paint jars were neatly sealed and the paint brushes, although they had dry paint streaks on them, were tucked into their various containers.

No single thing was out of place.

Art resided here and it was breathtaking.

“Whose studio is this?” I found myself asking as I looked around in awe, gaping like fish in water with a bright smile on my face.

“Mine,”

That one word caused me to whip my head in his direction, my jaw slackening in surprise. I blinked, trying to wrap my head around what I had just heard. He had a shy smile on his face, massaging his nape. Nervous chuckles exited his lips now and then.

“Or at least it used to be,” he added in a small voice.

“What? Baby!” I whispered, skidding towards him. I gazed at him in disbelief, waiting for him to say something because I couldn’t even find my voice.

“I spent a lot of my childhood here. Even as a teenager and…uh…my parents died, so I stopped painting.” He tried to say the last part like it didn’t bother him, but I knew it did. So much that I could make out the beads of tears forming in his green eyes.

“God, I am making a mess of everything.” He chuckled through his tears and I walked over to him, enclosing my arms around him in a hug.

“No, baby. You are not. You are grieving and it’s okay. There are no guidelines for it. Do it anyhow you want to.” I whispered, assuring him.

“Come,” He pulled away, wiping his tears, and I followed him. He reached behind the table in the room, pulling out a dusty brown box. I watched with curiosity as he unboxed it, revealing the contents.

They were old pictures.

But there was a particular picture which stood out the most. He handed it to me, so I could take a proper look. The striking resemblance between Arden and the man in the picture was unnerving. Even though he appeared older, Arden was still a splitting image of him. With his black hair and intense pool of green eyes. It brought me so much comfort, knowing someday, I will get to grow old with him and see what he will look like when that time comes.

And the woman? If I had seen this picture before I met Aunt Caroline, I would have easily agreed that she was the one in the picture. But then, taking a closer look at her, her hair was more wavy and a darker shade of blonde. Melted brown eyes that swirled with a hint of warmth which couldn’t in any way dim the fierceness engraved in those orbs. Even though she didn’t have the same eye colour as Maria, it felt like I was staring at her.

She was one breathtaking woman.

“They are a beautiful duo,” I uttered in admiration and he chortled behind me.

“They were…” His voice trailed off.

“You don’t have to refer to them in past tense if you don’t want to. No rule says it has to be that way.” I told him, grabbing hold of his hand.

“It’s high time I started doing that. And that’s why I still have one more place to take you. If I don’t do it today, I never will.” He admitted and my face stretched in a smile. I felt like a proud mother. I couldn’t hold back from kissing him softly on the lips.

My eyes prickled with tears.

“I am so proud of you, baby,” I stated matter-of-factly.

“Kendra was right. It’s time to grieve but the question is, are you ready to do it with me?” He demanded and I found myself giving Kendra a mental pat, making a mental note to tip her the next time I saw her.

“I’m all in, baby.”