DeLuca (Mafia Romance)

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Three years later…

I settled into my seat in first class, finally on my way home. I hadn’t seen Carlo in nearly six months. He had been away on business when I had come home for spring break earlier that year. I had been away for most of the past three years, coming home for Thanksgiving and Christmas but I had opted to stay at school and take summer courses instead of coming home so I could graduate a year early. It’s not that I didn’t love my home, I did, but it was hard to be around Carlo.

My crush on Angelo had been short lived. I chalked it up to teenage hormones. My infatuation with Carlo, however, had not fizzled over the years. In fact it had gotten worse and that made me uncomfortable. It wasn’t fair to Carlo. He had taken me in and thought he was gaining a sister, but instead he gained a lustful teenager who became an even more lustful woman. I wouldn’t let that stop me anymore though; I was a college graduate and a grown woman damn it. I could put a lid on my libido and enjoy my summer at the only place that had ever felt like home.

Sal and Enzo would be there to pick up Angelo, Gina, and I up from the airport. At Carlo’s request, Angelo had followed Gina and me to college, coming home only when he absolutely needed to handle something for Carlo. Even then, Enzo would fly out and stay with us in his absence. We all shared a house in Chicago for the added security and privacy that the dorms couldn’t afford.

It was comforting knowing we were protected, but having a constant shadow consisting of a large, exceptionally scary man was a bit of a buzzkill for a college student. It didn’t stop Gina though. She was as vivacious and wild as ever, not letting the muscle interfere with living up to her party girl persona. While she was able to drag me to the occasional frat party, I was decidedly less willing to ignore Angelo’s looming figure. Dating had been nearly impossible. In an attempt to get over my stupid crush on Carlo I had gone out with a handful of guys over the past three years, most of which never saw a second date.

…

I started dating Zane, my one and only college boyfriend, towards the end of second semester freshman year. I met him at the first party Gina had managed to drag me to. Angelo came too but was kind enough to hang back in the shadows giving us some semblance of normalcy. After an hour of avoiding spilled drinks and drunken frat boys trying to stare down my shirt, I had escaped to the back porch for some fresh air. Surprisingly, the back deck was vacant, or so I thought.

When I shut the sliding glass door movement to the right caught my eye, a tall guy straightened from his hunched position over the railing and turned toward me. He was hot, that much was obvious. He looked like James Dean on steroids; black t-shirt stretched across wide shoulders, perfectly fitted jeans, black boots, strong jawline, and piercing eyes. Check, check, check, check, and double check!

“Oh sorry, I didn’t know anyone else was out here,” I said looking wearily at him. He was intimidating for sure, but thanks to my training sessions with Angelo I was confident I could take him down if he tried anything. Still, I turned to leave, he seemed like he wanted to be left alone.

He appeared to relax at my hesitation, “No worries, there’s enough room for the both of us, my ego isn’t that big,” he responded, making me laugh.

I stepped up to the railing a few feet from him and let the muted music from inside wash over me.

After a few minutes of only slightly awkward silence he spoke, “Not much of the partying type are you?”

Another chuckle escaped my lips, “Meh, just not really into drunk assholes trying to cop a feel.”

His brow pulled down as he turned to look at me. “Someone giving you a hard time?” he asked, looking like he was ready to defend my honor once I gave the word.

I shook my head, what was it about me that made all the men in my life want to defend me? Did I look that helpless?

“No, I can handle myself.” It came out snarkier than intended.

His eyebrows shot up at my tone, “I’m sure you can, wasn’t trying to insult you.”

“Sorry, kind of a sore subject for me,” I winced.

“Brothers?”

I laughed again, “Yeah, older brother and cousin, how’d you know?” That was the story we had come up with to explain Angelo’s presence, he was my overprotective cousin, which I guess was partially true since I was Carlo’s pseudo sister.

“I drive my little sister crazy. She gets that same defiant look on her face whenever I insinuate that she needs protecting.”

“You would think that you’d learned your lesson by now then,” I quipped.

This brought out a soft chuckle from him, “You’d think but,” he knocked on his forehead, “Thick skull.”

I smiled at him, all earlier agitation fading away.

“I’m Zane,” he said, extending his hand.

“Mia.”

He made me relax, all the buzzing in my head faded to the background and I was just Mia. This guy didn’t know anything about me, all he saw was a normal college girl with a defiant streak. I wanted that, I wanted to live in that world, if for only just a little while. Zane was a local and we dated through the summer and into the fall. Even though I didn’t want to admit it at the time, he was the primary reason I stayed through the summer and took extra classes. Not that I thought we would have something permanent, mostly because I just didn’t want to go back to my reality yet. I wanted to pretend for a little longer.