AUCTIONED TO HER DAD’S MAFIA ENEMIES: A MAFIA AGE-GAP REVERSE HAREM ROMANCE (AUCTIONED SERIES Book 4)

WALK WITH US

I rest in Luca’s arms while he holds my hand, his lips brushing over my forehead, whispering words in Italian that sound like a love song. His voice is low and deep, each syllable a promise, a spell that weaves around me, making it impossible to remember a time when I didn’t crave his touch. His arousal is evident, pressing against my stomach, but for now, he’s content to hold me, to anchor me in this moment.

But I can’t forget how easily he coaxed me into taking him in my mouth, how controlled he was as I sucked him, the way he spoke as if I wasn’t on my knees, my lips wrapped around him. Knowing his brothers were there, watching him own my mouth, was mortifying and arousing in equal measure. Shame flooded me, but it was fleeting, replaced by something more dangerous—acceptance.

Luca Venturi is the boss of his family, and today, he became the boss of me.

His power takes away all the noise in my head, the fear, the anxiety, and the demands of life, leaving only peaceful silence in its wake.

How long before they return? How long will I have to wait?

Without Luca bending me to his will, my mind spins with questions. What happens when they’re done with me? When they’ve taken me together, when there’s nothing left to explore, will they send me home?

The thought makes my stomach turn. I don’t want to go home. I don’t want to step back into my aunt’s suffocating apartment, heavy with the scent of approaching death and despair, where I’m the only one trying to keep everything from collapsing. I’m only twenty, yet I have three dependents. It’s too much. It always has been too much.

But the truth is even harder to face.

Wanting to stay with my captors, the men determined to erase half my bloodline should be unforgivable, even if it’s the half who despise me. And yet, the Venturis have protected me, cherished me, given me a sense of safety I’ve never known. How messed up is it that I feel safer in the tank of sharks than I ever did on the shore?

“Do you need some water? Something to eat?” Luca’s soft voice pulls me from my thoughts

“Water would be good,” I admit, surprised at his consideration. I guess strict mafia bosses can also be thoughtful.

He shifts, gently lowering me onto the bed before tucking himself away. When he leaves the room, I take a moment to rub my hands over my face, breathing deeply. This is real. This is happening.

Am I really going to do this? Be with all of them?

I glance down at my bare legs, my unpainted toenails, and the delicate nightgown clinging to my skin. Why would they want me, just me, when they could have any woman they desired—women who wouldn’t need to be shared?

Antonio took my virginity. That was his prize. But since then, I’ve surrendered to Alexis, and Luca has claimed my mouth. Any sentiment attached to my first time should be long gone.

Why aren’t they married? Why don’t they have wives, children, a traditional Sicilian life?

Luca returns, carrying a tall glass of water and a plate. He passes me the glass first, waiting for me to drink, then passes me the plate. Three small Amaretti cookies rest together, delicate and golden.

“You should eat something. Keep your strength up.”

The unspoken reason lingers between us. My body is small and weak compared to theirs. I’m one, and they’re three. I’m inexperienced, and they have years of sexual history. Three small almond cookies won’t be enough to prepare me for when Alexis and Antonio return, but I eat them anyway, not wanting to disappoint Luca or reject his kindness.

He settles into the chair, watching me as I take slow bites.

“How’s Rosita,” I ask between mouthfuls. “Where did she go on honeymoon?”

“She’s fine. The Maldives.”

I frown, trying to recall the world map from my geography lessons. “I don’t know where that is.”

“Islands in the Indian Ocean.”

I nod. “Her husband—do you like him?”

Luca arches a dark eyebrow and raises the corner of his mouth into an even darker smile. “Do you think she would have married him if I didn’t like him?”

Of course. He’s not only a big brother but a mob boss. No man would dare to claim his sister without his approval.

“What’s he like?”

“Raphael? He’s clever. A lawyer. Strong, from a good family.”

Good. A relative term. Does he mean pure-hearted, reputable, or simply an ally in their world?

“They seem very much in love.”

He huffs like love is a myth, a fairytale, something only young girls believe can be real. “Rosita is a romantic. Always has been. She used to make me pretend to be her knight in shining armor. I had to keep reminding her I was her brother.”

I smile at the memory. I remember that game. She tried to make me pick between her brothers, but even then, I didn’t want to choose.

“So, maybe you’ll be an uncle soon.”

Luca’s expression twists for a second but then softens. “It’s hard to imagine her as a married woman. She’s my little sister, you know. And now she’s a Russo and belongs to another man.”

I tilt my head. “Women don’t belong to men, Luca. We choose to walk next to them, to lie by their sides, to give birth to their children, to tend to their homes, and to suffer when they suffer. If we’re lucky, they’re worthy of that devotion.”

His blue eyes sharpen as I dust the crumbs from my fingers over the plate. The weight of his attention is suffocating in its intensity but welcome still. I remind myself to breathe.

“You don’t want to belong to someone, kitten?”

I hesitate, playing with the hem of my nightgown. “I want to belong somewhere,” I admit. “I want to know I have a safe place in the world.”

Luca’s gaze softens, something unreadable flickering in the depths of his eyes. “We can give you that.”noveldrama

I glance up at him, finding his expression as serious as ever, his hands upturned where they rest on his thighs, open like he’s ready to accept whatever I have to give. “If you choose to walk with us.”

My heart clenches. Those words—my words—echo back at me, wrapping around my ribcage like a promise I never knew I needed to hear.

His smile is quick and devastating, a flash of lightning in a midnight sky. He takes the plate from my hands, setting it aside, then effortlessly lifts me, gathering me in his arms and snuggling me against his body where I feel safest. Where I belong.

“We’ll show you what it takes to be ours, princess,” he murmurs, his breath warm against my ear. “And then, if you still want to choose to lie by our sides, we’ll make it so.”