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- Herausgeber: Slow Burn Publishing
- Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
- Sprache: Englisch
My one-night stand just took my car. I'll take her freedom in return…
When I meet Nikki DeLuca in a half-lit bar, she has no idea who I am.
She’s hot, she’s willing, and we both want exactly the same thing: quick, no-strings-attached “fun” in one of the back booths.
Except the vixen stole my car keys before leaving, and now there are all kinds of strings…
I am not “Daniel,” and she is not just a random girl back in town after her college graduation.
My name is Dante, and she is the daughter of Gino DeLuca.
The biggest crime boss on the west coast. My sworn enemy. A monster of a father.
But I can’t really complain.
Because when the old man puts his own daughter up for auction, I am first in line to buy her hand in marriage.
I make a deal with the devil, and I take her home.
To be honest, I only mean to teach her a lesson.
But that’s before I find out that she’s pregnant with my baby.
Now, I wouldn’t give up her freedom if she begged. And she’s not the begging type…
Secret Vow is the first book in the Mafia Marriages Series but can be read as a standalone novel. This mafia age-gap romance ends with a happily ever after and features cameo appearances from the Eagle Tactical Series.
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023
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SECRET VOW
MAFIA MARRIAGES BOOK ONE
WILLOW FOX
Secret Vow
Mafia Marriages Book One
Willow Fox
Published by Slow Burn Publishing
Cover design by MiblArt
© 2021
v3
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
CONTENTS
About this Book
Chapter 1
Dante
Chapter 2
Nicole
Chapter 3
Dante
Chapter 4
Nicole
Chapter 5
Dante
Chapter 6
Nicole
Chapter 7
Dante
Chapter 8
Nicole
Chapter 9
Dante
Chapter 10
Nicole
Chapter 11
Dante
Chapter 12
Nicole
Chapter 13
Dante
Chapter 14
Nicole
Chapter 15
Dante
Chapter 16
Nicole
Chapter 17
Dante
Chapter 18
Nicole
Chapter 19
Dante
Chapter 20
Nicole
Chapter 21
Dante
Chapter 22
Nicole
Chapter 23
Dante
Chapter 24
Nicole
Chapter 25
Dante
Chapter 26
Nicole
Chapter 27
Dante
Chapter 28
Nicole
Chapter 29
Dante
Chapter 30
Nicole
Chapter 31
Dante
Chapter 32
Nicole
Chapter 33
Dante
Chapter 34
Nicole
Chapter 35
Dante
Chapter 36
Nicole
Chapter 37
Dante
Chapter 38
Nicole
Chapter 39
Dante
Epilogue
Nicole
Giveaways, Free Books, and More Goodies
About the Author
Also by Willow Fox
ABOUT THIS BOOK
My one-night stand just took my car. I guess I’ll take her freedom in return…
When I meet Nikki DeLuca in a half-lit bar, she has no idea who I am.
She’s hot, she’s willing, and we both want exactly the same thing: quick, no-strings-attached sex in one of the back booths.
Except the vixen stole my car keys before leaving, and now there are all kinds of strings…
I am not “Daniel,” and she is not just a random girl back in town after her college graduation.
My name is Dante, and she is the daughter of Gino DeLuca.
The biggest crime boss on the west coast. My sworn enemy. A monster of a father.
But I can’t really complain.
Because when the old man puts his own daughter up for auction, I am first in line to buy her hand in marriage.
I outbid everyone, I make a deal with the devil, and I take her home.
To be honest, I only mean to teach her a lesson.
But that’s before I find out that she’s pregnant with my baby.
Now, I wouldn’t give up her freedom if she begged. And she’s not the begging type…
Secret Vow is the first book in the Mafia Marriages Series but can be read as a standalone novel. This mafia age-gap romance ends with a happily ever after and features cameo appearances from the Eagle Tactical Series.
1
DANTE
The way she dances does things to me that I know are wrong.
I swallow back another glass of whiskey, trying to suppress the urge to stalk over and capture her lips with mine.
“Tell me you’re not considering sleeping with Nicole DeLuca,” Moreno says.
He’s my second, my best friend, and also blatantly honest, even when I don’t want him to be.
He also knows that I’ve sported a hard-on for Nicole since the moment I learned of Gino’s daughter.
I like a challenge, and she’s off-limits. It makes the catch that much more fun.
“Have you seen me so much as talk to her?” I shoot Moreno a glare to shut the hell up. Somehow, I doubt he will do as I want.
He’s a good guy if such a thing can be said about the Ricci Family.
“You keep drinking and staring. She’s bound to notice you,” Moreno says.
Maybe that’s the point. I want her to notice me. I want her to fear me like her father, Gino, fears my family.
Nicole struts onto the dance floor. The light cascades across her raven hair.
She bumps and grinds, arms tossed into the air.
I want to fuck that smile right off her gleeful face.
She’s a force to be reckoned with, and I’m just the man to turn her life upside down.
“Have another drink. It’s on me.” Moreno gestures to the bartender, and he waltzes over and pours another whiskey.
“On you?” I laugh.
I own the damned bar.
He can offer to buy me all the drinks he wants. I drink here for free.
“Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t tip the staff.” Moreno slides a fifty to the bartender, Ren-something.
I forget her name. I hired her after the last guy caused me a headache and a dead boss.
Some things are better left in the past.
Being don has its advantages, including getting any girl I want.
Tonight, that girl is Nicole DeLuca.
I shift on the barstool.
Usually, I claim the corner booth. It has a reserved placard for the occasion that I might want to come in and have a drink or business with an associate.
“You need another girl. Someone less deadly,” Moreno says.
I laugh under my breath and sip my whiskey. “You talk like she’s an assassin.”
“Her father is.”
I wave my hand in the air. “He’s an old man, Gino. Pain in my ass.” He is also a problem that needs taking care of, but that’s a job for another day.
Tonight, I’m here to cut off some steam and have fun.
“You fuck that girl, and he’ll hunt you down,” Moreno warns. He gestures the bartender over and gets himself a drink.
I raise an eyebrow. I haven’t seen Moreno drink in, well, since forever.
This is bad if he’s drinking. “Shit, I’m driving you to drink. It really must be the end of the world,” I mock.
He pinches the bridge of his crooked nose. He got that from defending my honor in a bar fight nearly two decades ago. I’d been young, naïve, and on the cusp of seventeen. I knew how to fight like a kid, not like a man.
Moreno rectified that. He taught me everything I know about the family business.
“Just promise me that you’ll leave her alone.” Moreno sips his whiskey.
It’s obvious to anyone who knows him he can’t stand the taste, but he drinks like a pro to an outsider.
“You don’t have to kill yourself for me,” I joke and point at the whiskey. “I’ll down that if you’re struggling.”
“Do you see me struggling?” Moreno asks.
“While you enjoy that whiskey, I’m going to work my moves on the dance floor.”
“Dante,” Moreno says my name, but his tone holds more than just a hint of warning.
He’s screaming at me to listen to him.
But when do I ever listen?
The funny thing is that I’m his boss, and I don’t take orders from Moreno or anyone else. While I appreciate his concern, that’s all it is to me, and I’m going to do whatever the hell I want.
Hasn’t he realized that yet?
I climb off the barstool and make my way onto the dance floor. I don’t dance. There’s no need.
I’m on a mission, and she is my target.
We lock eyes, and she blushes on my approach.
Good. She doesn’t seem to know me. At least she hasn’t indicated that I’m the bastard trying to kill her father.
“I’m here with friends,” she says like that line will work to shoo me away.
“Nice of them to ditch you,” I say.
She’s been dancing for the last forty or so minutes, alone. The handful of guys who tried to pick her up haven’t had any luck.
One of them looks at me apologetically.
I’ve yet to see her with a shot or drink in her hand, either.
“How do you know they’re not in the bathroom?” Nicole asks.
“If they are, they must have snuck out the window.”
She rolls her eyes. “Are you implying that I’m that boring?”
“On the contrary, I’m implying nothing, only that you’re a pretty woman dancing alone.”
“I'll bet that line works on all the other girls,” Nicole says.
She’s right. It doesn’t take much for them to fall at my feet. I’m blessed with good looks and a great body. Does she not notice?
“How about I buy you a drink, and if you never want to see me again—”
“Okay.”
Her response takes me by surprise.
I lead her toward the reserved booth and gesture for her to climb in first. The booth is curved, and I make sure to sit close beside her, our thighs touching.
I want to touch her, seduce her, and bring her all sorts of heightened pleasure.
“Are you sure we should be sitting here?” Nicole asks. “It did say reserved.”
I merely shrug. I don’t want to give away who I am, especially if she’s unaware of my position of power. She shouldn’t know.
“Let’s see what happens,” I say.
She raises a curious eyebrow but shuts her mouth.
The bartender from earlier comes over, and I gesture for two drinks—one for each of us. I don’t have to give the bartender my order. She gets the finest liquor, top-shelf from the collection.
“I never got your name,” Nicole says.
“Daniel,” I answer. It’s a lie. I’ve always been Dante.
It’s clear she doesn’t recognize me, and I can’t have my name triggering any further recognition.
“I’m Nikki,” she says and rests a hand on my thigh.
Her tune has changed since I met her minutes ago on the dance floor, but I’m not sure why. Do I care?
“It’s lovely to meet you, Nikki,” I say, as if I’m trying to remember her name.
I could never forget it. I’ve had my eye on her since she strolled into town and moved in with her daddy, my number one enemy: Gino DeLuca.
All I’ve wanted is to take him down, and in the process, I’ll be forced to ruin her for other men.
Too bad.
She’s beautiful, with her long black hair and deep-set amber eyes.
Cute and sexy.
And she could have a normal life if I wasn’t at war with her old man.
The lights are dim, the bar not terribly crowded for a Friday night.
The music slows, and I’m glad we’re already in the booth. While a slow dance is nice at times, it doesn’t fit right now. Not when I want to grind against her.
The bartender returns with two drinks. One is a whiskey for me and the second a whiskey sour on the rocks for her. It’s strong but sweet, too girly for my taste, but the ladies haven’t turned it away in the past.
I don’t expect her to be any different.
But I’m wrong.
She slides her glass toward me and grabs mine before I can lift it to my lips. “I’ll have what you’re having.”
She means my glass of whiskey.
Damn, that shit is expensive.
The girls always get the off-label, and since it’s mixed, they can’t taste the difference.
She smiles coyly and bats her long, dark lashes, but it’s just an act.
What game is she playing tonight?
“Hope you don’t mind. I prefer the good stuff, liquid gold.” Nicole gulps the whiskey in a matter of seconds and slams the glass down hard on the wooden table.
Her warm amber gaze has flecks of gold, and the longer she watches me, the more I fall into her stare.
What the hell is going on?
“Do you want to get out of here?”
I do more than anything, but my gut is telling me no. “How about I take you back to your place?” I suggest.
I already know she’s living with her father, but I wonder what excuse she’ll give me.
2
FOUR HOURS EARLIER
NICOLE
“Come down here for a moment, Nicole,” Papa says.
I’m his pet, his prize he likes to tout around to suitors in the business. He brags about how proud he is of me, but he’s only proud of himself.
I hate my father but he’s family. Moving home wasn’t my idea, but I don’t have anywhere else to go without a job and after recently graduating from college.
I stroll down the staircase. My bare feet graze over the cold wood floor. “Yes, Papa?”
“Come, sit with me in my office.”
Dread flows straight to my stomach. Anytime my papa wants me to join him in his office, it means I’ve disappointed him in some way or another.
What have I done this time?
“As you know, I’ve held my tongue and let you chase a degree and graduate from that foolish school of yours,” Papa says.
My cheeks burn, and I press my lips tight together to keep from reacting emotionally.
“Now that you’re home and you’re twenty-two, you are going to settle down with a young man of my choosing.”
“Papa!” I feel like a child interrupting him.
And he treats me as such.
His hand slaps me hard across the face.
“Do not interrupt me,” he scolds.
I hang my head in shame. It’s what he wants, after all, control.
“I’ve thought long and hard about the business, Nicole. It’s in everyone’s best interest if you are wed to—”
“No!” I won’t hear it. I wait for him to slap me again across the face, but it doesn’t come. “I’m not marrying someone who you think I ought to marry. That’s such an archaic notion!” I shout in disgust as I hurry out of his office.
“Young lady, I’m not through speaking with you!”
I don’t care, and he gets the message as I hurry for the front door. I slip on a pair of shoes and bolt out the main entrance.
I didn’t think this through.
I have no car.
No money.
And no one to call or depend on.
I head for the main road, ignoring the guards as they question me on my way out, asking if I need a ride. As much as I want one, I also know that they will tell my papa everything, including where I’ve run off to.
* * *
I head for the bar in the nearest town. The walk doesn’t bother me. The weather is nice, sunny and pleasant, which is better than my mood.
I want to get plastered, but I forgot my wallet. I could flirt with the bartender or maybe a hottie at the bar. That assumes anyone in this freakishly small town is handsome and worth my time.
It doesn’t help that I have nowhere to go. Returning home weighs on me like a ton of bricks.
I skip the drinks and stroll out onto the dance floor. The pulse-pounding music wakes me up inside and makes me forget about the turbulent day. I shrug off the first two guys who vie for my attention.
They don’t hold my interest. They’re too smiley and picture-perfect.
There’s a man at the bar who’s hot.
Sharply dressed, dark eyes, and fit under his suit.
He’s trying too hard to impress the ladies.
My gaze lingers on him longer than I intend to, and I break away, turning as I dance in the middle of the floor, my feet stomping on the ground. Cutting loose feels wonderful.
If only I could cut all ties to my life.
It wouldn’t be so hard if I’d have landed a teaching job. My degree was a piece of paper, worthless.
I should have examined the job market before graduating with a degree in elementary education. It wasn’t like I couldn’t get a job. A few areas were hiring, but they weren’t in the best neighborhoods.
That didn’t overly concern me.
It was the fact rival families ran those territories.
I would always be a target so long as my father was don.
He hadn’t always been don, but he’d been second in command, the underboss to Angelo DeLuca for years. I couldn’t remember a time when Angelo and Papa weren’t chummy.
When Angelo died, Papa took over the family business with pride and admiration.
He’d been a bastard to me when he’d been an underboss. I shudder at the memory of his hand slapping me across the face. Papa had never been gentle, but he also had left me well enough alone.
Now that he was Don DeLuca, the darkness that settled in his heart grew.
He wanted to be feared by everyone.
The handsome stranger with a dark and mysterious look to him strolls up to me. He doesn’t pretend to dance. Surprisingly, he doesn’t bump and grind against me, either.
I wouldn’t have minded it if I had a few drinks in me first.
His name is Daniel. It rolls off my tongue with simplicity to it. He doesn’t look like a Daniel, but what do I know?
He flirts and I finally take the bait. The truth is I need a ride out of this city, and if it means lifting his car keys or his wallet, so be it.
I join him for a drink, steal his whiskey, and the next thing I know, I’m asking if he wants to get out of here.
I can’t go back home, even if I wanted to. A part of me wants to drag him in front of Papa and humiliate my father.
“They’re fumigating my place,” I lie so easily. I can’t let him know I’m the daughter of Don DeLuca. I don’t know who works for my papa and who he has crossed. He’s made enemies. That’s no secret. The DeLucas don’t make friends easily.
“Funny, that’s what’s happening to my place,” Daniel says.
I smile, shaking my head. “You are something else.” I poke his chest. I’m not sure why or what comes over me, but I have the insistent need to feel something other than anger and resentment.
I hate my papa.
I grab Daniel by the tie and yank him toward me for a kiss.
I take him by surprise. Most men aren’t used to my forcefulness and brashness. I’m used to power, others wielding it over me. It feels nice for a chance to be in control.
I swear I hear him growl.
Gosh, I want to devour him.
“I have a better idea,” Daniel whispers against my ear and pulls me onto his lap.
I’m wearing a short black dress that cuts above the knee. I’ve got spaghetti straps that keep sliding down my shoulders, and for the first time tonight, I don’t bother trying to pick them back up.
I can feel his heat poking me from beneath.
My fingers claw through his hair as our lips melt together.
He’s not the only one growling. I think I just made a sound in unison.
We shouldn’t.
We can’t.
Not in the bar.
Not in a public place where anyone can see what we’re doing.
God, I want him.
He bites down on my bottom lip and I moan.
The music covers my noises, but I’m sure Daniel can hear every sound that I make.
He guides my legs apart, and he explores what’s hidden beneath my skirt. He feels over my panties. Can he tell they’re soaked because of him?
His fingers are rough and quick, pushing my panties to the side. I’m not sure he didn’t rip the silk material.
His lips move to my ear, his breath tickling and arousing me. “You’re wet for me, Kitten.”
The way he says it sends a shudder through my body.
He pinches my clit, sending a shockwave through me straight to my core.
I struggle to focus, to keep my eyes open. My breathing has deepened. Each breath comes out a gasp.
He covers my mouth, hot and rough, and he shifts my hips slightly, just enough to lift me off him while he guides his cock out from his trousers.
And then he’s forceful, penetrating me.
I moan, confident the entire bar can hear the sounds, and everyone knows what we’re doing.
Daniel covers my mouth. His tongue explores my lips as he grinds his hips and his hands rest on my hips.
We move together in unison. His thrusts are deep and strong.
Suddenly, he lifts my hips and turns me around to sit on his lap. He enters me again, my insides pulsating from the sensation of growing close and him momentarily pulling away.
I open my mouth to ask what he’s doing, but he’s already buried inside my warmth and wetness.
His movements turn faster, rougher as he pounds into me and I clench on.
“Not yet,” he commands.
I gasp and feel on the edge of oblivion.
The sensation builds inside me. My heart is slamming against my ribcage, my breath coming out in pants as I’m coated in sweat.
I tremble and clench down on his member, and he grabs my chin and yanks my head to the side to face him.
“Did I tell you that you could come?” he asks. His tone is harsh.
I flinch at his words. I’m waiting for him to hit me, but he doesn’t.
“I haven’t yet.” I’m tinkering on the edge.
“Fuck,” he says.
Several more thrusts, and he’s swelling inside me, on the brink.
“Come for me, Kitten.”
I do as he commands, clenching down, squeezing him as I tremble on his lap. I bite down on my bottom lip, tugging it between my teeth to keep my moans at bay.
Daniel lifts me off his frame and sits me back down on the bench beside him. He adjusts himself back into his slacks and zips himself up. His eyes shine as he climbs out of the booth that we shared.
“Wait,” I say and grab him by the tie. I pull him tight for one last kiss.
But that’s not all I’m after. I need his keys or wallet. Whatever I can get my hands on first without him noticing.
With one hand latched to his tie, I’m careful to pickpocket him without him suspecting anything.
I shove his keys behind my back and am careful not to jingle them.
“Have a good night,” I say with a coy smile.
He saunters across the room to the bar where his friend is situated. He sits down, and I slip out of the booth and skirt out the front door before Daniel can realize I stole his keys and call the cops.
3
DANTE
“Are you ready to get out of here?” I ask Moreno.
He looks bored, and I’m done now that I’ve had my fun.
My gaze scours over the bar, but I don’t see any sign of Nicole. She must have already left. I’m not sure why I care. At least there aren’t other men dancing with her.
A strange pang of jealousy hits me like lightning.
I shouldn’t care. I gesture to the bartender for one more whiskey.
“I’m driving,” Moreno says and holds out his hand.
He’s waiting for me to deposit my keys into his palm.
“Fair enough.” I’m in no mood to fight him and, quite frankly, a little more than tipsy. I don’t need to get behind the wheel and crash my truck. Besides, that’s why I have good men like Moreno accompany me.
