Taming My Mafia Stepbrother

Cara’s pov

Seeing Luca in his element might just be the hottest thing ever. The man was a freaking sex god even when he was doing non sexual related things.

Like sitting in a business meeting, listening solemnly to whatever Dominic was saying.

I reached for my cup of coffee on the center table of Luca’s second living room. Coffee that was still very much full even after fixing it ten minutes ago. I pretended to read the thriller novel in my hand, all the while stealing furtive glances out the window at the meeting happening on the terrace below. The window provided ample coverage that allowed me to ogle to my fill.

Santino was the one talking now but I barely registered it, my focus on my stepbrother turned passionate lover and soon to be heartbreaker. Luca leaned forward on the table, propping an elbow on his armrest, making his thick biceps bunch effortlessly under his dark blue beach shirt. His index finger curled over his lips, his expression serious and thoughtful. Harmless posture but it had my pulse racing with desire.

Gawd he was so hot. He could do the most trivial thing and will still make erotic models or pornstars look pale in comparison. That pose coupled with his dark hair fluttering in the open breeze was magazine cover worthy.

I didn’t know how long I’d sat by the window, watching the man make plans to conquer the world. I don’t even know why I felt I had to watch him this way. We were sleeping together, literally. We lived together, sometimes showered together… dressed up together.

But this was the most comfortable I’ve been while looking at him in days. I’ve been a total wreck and it was all because of Valentina and her infuriating ability to ruffle my feathers. Or maybe it was less about Valentina and more about my unusual insecurity.

Maybe it was even more about my unhealthy load of feelings for Luca that brought about the strange insecurity.

I didn’t know how long I stayed there ogling at Luca like his enchanted victim but the meeting was soon over and the men began taking their leave. Dominic remained for another round and this one seemed to be more personal. It seemed to be heated too if the clenching of Luca’s jaw and the devil’s stare he gave Dominic were any indication.

I tried to read their lips but it felt like they were speaking in Italian but that didn’t stop me from picking on three words in Dominic next sentence.

Valentina, opportunity, Alexei.

Confusion seized my features. What the hell did that mean?

The conversation carried on and it frustrated me I wasn’t about to pick up on anything else except those three puzzling words. Why did Dominic mention Valentina? What opportunity was he talking about? What does it have to do with the evil Russian dude?

I couldn’t come up with a plausible theory for the life of me and it grated on my nerves and left a throb in my head. Great, one more thing to be frantic about. Thanks a lot Dominic.

Technically, it was my fault for eavesdropping, I could have gone through my day without knowing the dense information but I didn’t like the man much to own up to my faults in this scenario.

My phone buzzed in the pocket of my boy short with a notification and I nearly jumped out of my tensed skin. I fetched it and looked through the intruding message with impatience, my frown slowly morphing into a gape of disbelief.

I couldn’t believe what I was looking at so I wiped at my eyes, blinking rapidly, then I looked again.

“Holy fuck!” I exclaimed in a breath, staring blankly at the amount of zeros in the credit notification.

Twenty-five fucking thousand dollars, currently sitting in my account of all places.

And it was from none other than my mother.

A finger came up to my temple as my shock intensified, the throb in my head a violent pulsing. I jiggled my legs beneath the center table. Was I dreaming? It was either that or my mother had been taken over by an alien.

A bemused scoff left me. Why the f u ck was she sending me money? A whooping sum of twenty-five grands at that. The woman barely ever gave me pocket money growing up.

I really wasn’t in the mood for whatever games she was playing.

I was debating whether to call or text when my buzzed alive with an incoming call. From her. My hand hovered above it in indecision as I gauged how mentally prepared I was for a conversation with the woman. My nerves has been a wreck these past couple of days and my mother was sure to twist the knife.

But I decided to go through with the cursed convo now than later. Get things over with.

“Did you get the credit notification?” My mother said without a greeting. She never did when she called.

I unconsciously began to fiddle with corners of my novel, my body taut. “I was just about to call you.” I exhaled deeply. “What’s the money for?”

“Not you acting like you don’t know. You ran to your step brother like a little snitch.”

My lids fluttered in utter puzzlement. What the hell was she talking about? “I have no idea what you mean mother. You’d have to be more clear.”

Her tone was scornful. “Don’t pretend with me, child. You reported me to that assh0le because you’re an ungrateful money-grubbing brat.”

If I took a breath deeper than the one I just inhaled, my lungs would shrink. “Mother-”

“I’ve sent you the money.” A scoff. “Did you think I wanted to steal it? I just wanted to keep it for you, set up a trust fund for you later.”

“I don’t understand-”

“Why would I have trusted someone like you with such amount of money? I’d asked Manuel to reduce the monthly sum but he refused.”

I could now hear the throb in my head. “Mother, what money are you talking about?”

“Don’t act you don’t know it’s your allowance money!” She said in a hiss.

“I had an allowance?” The news took me by surprise and my head felt hollow and misty until four things started to become clear.

One, I had an allowance. Two, my stepfather had been it paying monthly. Three, my mother had been pocketing it. Four, Luca had found out and probably threatened the life out of her.

Regardless of the three crucial aforementioned points, my brain decided to fixate on the fourth. I glanced at where his handsome ass sat below, my body sizzling with a warm feeling.

How could I not be confused when the man kept doing things like that, leading me on, making my heart flutter.

“… your step father and brother will soon discover for themselves when the money ruins you. Until then, I’d wait.” My mother was saying or rather snarling into the phone.

I’d forgotten she was still talking. My mind retraced to the point of the conversation. She had been stealing from me but she was being totally unapologetic and shameless about it, saying a whole lot of bull and blaming me for it.

It made me flushed with anger. “It is quite disappointing that you’d want to keep my money for whatever reason you think is enough justification, especially when you can get double the amount from your billionaire husband.”

A sharp gasp cut through my spiel but I didn’t stop. “You shouldn’t have done all of that, I am not interested in the money in the first place and I never will.”

“You crude little-”

“I’ll send you back the money, you can have it all to yourself. Good day mother, it was nice hearing your voice again.”

I hung up. And I gulped in a load of breath and pushed it out, the tension seeping out of my constricted lungs.

My mother began calling again and I let it ring and ring. When I was fed up with the incessant ringing, I put the phone in DND and tossed it on the center table.

It didn’t matter what happened, it didn’t matter how years has passed, my mother was still the cruelest to me. I didn’t give a fuck about Manuel’s money, I’d first live in a cardboard box and survive on moldy bread before I’d take any cent from him. Not when he’d taken away the only person that ever loved me, killed him right before my eyes. I wouldn’t have had to grow up with a woman like my foster mother if the old don hadn’t done that.

“It better not be me you’re thinking about with an expression like that.”

My eyes snapped up to the deep, velvety voice of Luca and they were greeted with his glorious form. I could never get used to how gorgeous he was.

My smile was automatic as it always was whenever I was graced with his presence. “There’s no need to be scared, you’re safe.” I joked.

His answering smile pulled at my heartstrings and it was a wonder how I never projected the secret loathing I had for his father on him. Believe me, I’d tried but lost in the face of his powerful pulling force.

It made me loathe myself instead. I couldn’t even hate the son of the enemy. Instead, I was letting him rail me day in and day out. And I would even let him do more.

Luca’s gaze coasted from me to the table and I could have sworn something hot coasted off my body as well.

“Reading and drinking coffee.” A pointed stare at the lukewarm drink and I watched his eyes dance with amusement. “The coffee, it looks… cold.”

I quickly picked it up and took a generous gulp. “It’s perfectly steaming and fresh.” I said after the heavy swallow.

But Luca wasn’t fooled because his gaze moved to the window and his amusement darkened. “You must have sat here for a while.”

I stiffened. “Not that long, just about… ten minutes.”

His eyes were back on me and his mouth hinted at a smirk. “But your coffee is cold.”

“I told you that it isn’t.” I grumbled, my nose scrunched in hypocritical indignation.

“Ten minutes you say,” he looked down at my novel and I instinctively held it to my chest. “Should I have you treated for dyslexia? ‘Cause it appears that you might have reading struggles.”

My brows knitted into a frown.

“You’re still on the preface of the book.” He clarified.

I glared at him as we both realized I had been caught. My cheeks flared with mortification.

“How long have you been watching me, micetta?” Luca asked, not longer fighting to hide his smirk.

I sighed, resigned. “Not as long as your inflated ego thinks. I was bored and I wanted to see how a meeting went.”

“Did you?” He asked, coming closer.

He stood right in front of me, all six foot gorgeous four inches of him towering over me. My breath quickened and my throat went dry with his mouthwatering form.

I didn’t know how I was able to speak at this point but I did. “Yes.”

Luca’s hand came up to thread in my hair. “So what did you observe?” He asked, his voice low and lazy.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

My belly gurgled with a lava of lust. His waist was eye level with my face, if I could reach into his slacks and pull out his c0ck, I could suck him right where I sat. The lava dropped deeper down my belly, all the way to the throbbing between my legs.

I peered up at him. “That you look so fucking hot in don mode.”

I could burst from the flare of dark desire in his steel depths. His Adam’s apple bobbed and his hand tightened in my hair. “Is that all?” The question came out in a voice rougher.

I moistened my lips. “Yes.” I breathed. “But it made me think…”

“About what?”

“That I wanted you to fuck me in don mode.”