Riccardo (2 page)

CHAPTER ONE

The Past

LORENA

I couldn't take my eyes off him. He was the most gorgeous man I had ever seen.

“So, it looks like you’re the lucky one who has been forced to look after me?” I asked. I hadn't seen my godfather in years. I was home for good after finishing my final year at boarding school. My father was throwing me a welcome home party with all our
famiglia
, our mafia family. I hadn't seen many of them for years and it was wonderful to be with them all again, especially
Nonna
Angela. Riccardo followed me, as I passed the kitchen, and the delicious aromas of her homemade cannelloni filled the air.

As usual, my father assigned me a bodyguard. One would think I'd be used to it, but that was far from the truth. It invaded my privacy. One of his henchmen was forever trailing me or shadowing me. However if they looked like
him
¸ like Riccardo, then I'd be happy to have my privacy be invaded.

I was possibly twelve or thirteen the last time I'd seen him. Even at thirteen, I thought he was a hottie. Did I have a teenage crush on him? You bet I fucking did. Years later, my crush had not diminished. If anything, it had only escalated. Everything about him was completely strong. He had muscles that screamed touch me and his body was full of tattoos, right up to his neck. I had to force myself not to openly admire his body. I wasn’t quite certain of his age but I was guessing he was perhaps ten or twelve years older than me. He was also my father's best friend, which meant he was off limits and completely taboo.

“You address me by my name or you call me
Padrino
. I am your Godfather after all.”

I turned to him and eyed his position as he leaned against the door. The last time I saw him, his hair was longer, another thing that had changed. The delicious man before me instead wore his hair short, almost bald, but that was not the only difference. With such thick muscles, I was surprised he even fit into his suit jacket. He was big, making even my father look small.

“What’s your name, I seem to have forgotten?” I lied. “It's been a while since I've been home." Sneaking a glass of wine from one of the caterers as they passed trays around, I worked hard to conceal my grin.

“It seems you've forgotten that you can't drink as well. You're not eighteen yet, remember? And you know my name is Riccardo.” He kept his bulky arms folded over his large chest, and I couldn’t help but wonder how it would feel to touch them and have those arms wrapped around me.

I knew that was surely not going to happen.

"Well, I gather you remember me.” Sipping my wine, I stared at him over the rim of my glass. "Are you going to join me for a drink?" He grunted, reminding me of my age. His stubborn grunt really pissed me off. Honestly, who the fuck did he think he was? I almost rolled my eyes at him. “What? Wine isn't your cup of tea I suppose. Let me think. Oh, yes, it must be scotch or vodka, like Daddy. I bet they’re tough drinks that won't turn you into a pussy. That's what you’re afraid of, isn't it?" I asked him as I deliberately ran my hand down his muscled chest. I could feel he was attracted to me and I wanted a reaction from him. The moment my hand touched him, he flinched. But not before I could feel all that hard, tight skin hidden beneath his shirt. I had been dying to touch him.

"You are far from a pussy,
Padrino
," I teased, ignoring his bewildered look. Taking that as my cue, I strode past him, deliberately grazing my body against him.

Ignoring his hiss, I left him standing there and headed outside to mingle with the rest of the crowd. Most were my father's men. My mother was out of the picture. Daddy booted her out years ago, but every now and then she'd show up, but only if she wanted something. Obviously, my homecoming wasn't very important to her, since she wasn’t present. It was something I had become accustomed to.

I scanned the outdoor area but I wasn't in the mood to make conversation with anyone in particular. There wasn't anyone my own age anyway. I spotted my father talking to his cousin, Vincenzo. I quickly finished off my wine before he could see me drinking. Too late. He saw and headed towards me.
Damn
.

"Hi, Daddy."

"
Bella mia
, I missed you." He cupped my face in both hands and kissed my forehead ever so tenderly. God, how I loved my father. Yes, he was a notorious crime boss, but to me, he was my everything. "Lorena, don't think I didn't see you drinking either. You can't hide anything from me."

"Oh, come on, Daddy, I'm almost eighteen. What difference is a few more months going to make?" I pouted.

"Your birthday is still six months away,
cara
. You are underage and I won't have you drinking. Riccardo is meant to be watching you. Where is he?"

"I'm here. It seems your daughter is just as stubborn as you," Riccardo grumbled as he walked up to us. He was staring directly at me. When I turned toward him, I noticed his head was cocked to the side as he looked at me.

“What?” I asked.

He ignored me. "I warned her not to drink. She better not cause me any problems and get all bitchy now that she's home. I've got enough shit to deal with, Boss," he addressed my father. "I don't need any more crap."

My father didn't even blink. In fact, he laughed. No one spoke to my father like that. What the hell? Who did he think he was, saying I'd be trouble and bitchy?

"Lorena, now you're home for good, you will be under Riccardo's instruction. As much as I would love him to watch over you all the time, he can’t. He is my Capo after all. There is no other man more trustworthy than Riccardo to be left in charge of your well-being. He will assign one of the men to go wherever you go and you will do as they say. It’s important that you follow his orders and not be defiant. You understand how our family works. I don't want to hear of you causing any trouble."

"Oh, please, Daddy. Me, cause trouble? I'll be on my best behaviour. I promise." I kissed my father on the cheek and slipped past him and Riccardo, completely ignoring the hulk of a man who I wanted nothing more than to dry hump. I headed toward the lounge room where a science fiction movie was playing. Slipping off my sandals, I tucked my feet under my denim skirt as I sat and relaxed on the couch.

Riccardo walked in and I glanced toward him, noting his scowl and hard stare.

“You need something?" I asked while pretending to be engrossed in the movie. He didn't answer me straight away.

“I mean it. I've no time for teenage dramas. Your father may put up with all your petty demands, but I won't." He sat himself on the black leather chair to the left of me.

After just a short few hours, I was already over his anger directed at me. Admittedly, I
was
demanding, but fuck, I was
The
Don's daughter. It was normal to be demanding and spoilt. He just had to suck it up and get used to it. There was no way I was changing. I thought about switching the television off, but I decided to pause the movie instead and turned to focus my attention solely on him.

“Why the hell did you take the job in the first place? I don't understand why Stefano or one of the other men can't do it, why you? Don't you have better things to do with your time than babysit me?" I asked him.

“It's my duty, not theirs.”

"It's your duty, hey? Well, I'm guessing my life is going to be an absolute hoot with you around." I smiled at him, nestling back onto the sofa to un-pause and watch my movie. "You know, boarding school wasn't so strict. I did manage to sneak out here and there. So, you better be prepared to keep a close eye on me. I may not be eighteen yet, but I am no innocent." He glared at me venomously. "I'm going to be going out with my friends and some are not necessarily female. I may just run amuck, so don't say you weren't previously warned. I'm going to make you work hard for your money. In fact, you'll be wishing my father never entrusted you with my life." The look on his face was priceless. It took every ounce of willpower inside me not to laugh.

He smoothed his hands over his cropped hair in frustration. Or was it panic? “Fuck me! You're gonna be my living nightmare." He stood and paced the floor. I thought he was going to create a scene, but he managed to calm himself. He glanced towards me and asked, "Why do you want to make this difficult?"

"I'm not. I'm just warning you that I’m no innocent. And like I said earlier, I'm almost eighteen. I don't need a babysitter."

"I'm not your babysitter," he snarled. "As the daughter of The Don, you need protection and you're stuck with me. It might not be me all the time, but your father has entrusted me with your life and I intend to do my job. And I do it well.”

"Fine. No need to get your dick in a pickle for fuck's sake." I laughed, noticing I only annoyed him even more. "Looks like this partnership is going to be oodles of fun then, doesn’t it?"

"Yeah. I can't fucking wait." He stood up, looking ferocious and every bit as dangerous as his reputation made him out to be.

God, he was absolutely gorgeous when he was angry, but scary as shit. I knew he was only following orders and doing his job, which was to protect me, but he was so frustrating. "Relax, I just wanted to ruffle your feathers. It's what I do best. Tease people."

He finally sat back down after my answer but his eyes never left me.
Damn, I wish I knew what he was thinking
. I didn’t quite understand my attraction to him but my body was tingling all over the place. My nipples tightened and heat flooded my core. I'd never felt anything like this. Not even with the guy I was secretly seeing and gave my virginity to while I was at boarding school.

"Teasing people and flirting with men who are almost double your age is what's going to get you into a whole load of trouble, little girl. I'll be trailing that cute arse of yours so close, you won't be able to breathe, let alone attend parties. You’re beautiful and your father is one of the most powerful and influential men in the country. That alone can cause you great danger," he warned me.

He wasn't telling me something I didn't already know. It was the world I grew up in, the mafia world. I knew he was bad for me; I knew he was too old for me, but I didn’t care. The only thing embedded in my brain was that he said I was beautiful. My first time with Jimmy wasn't anything to rave about, but it wasn't that bad either. I liked sex. If my father knew I'd already lost my virginity at the age of sixteen, he'd forbid me to ever leave the house again. Although I'd only had sex a few times with Jimmy, he never told me I was beautiful. Riccardo was the first, besides my father, of course, and my father saying I was beautiful didn’t really count.

"So...um...you think I'm beautiful and I've got a nice arse?" I teased him. I just couldn't help myself. Damn, he was fun to goad.

“Fuck me! I didn't mean to say it like that. It came out the wrong way." He lifted a hand and rubbed the back of his neck and then smoothed it over his face, letting out a deep breath. The action made the muscles in his arms ripple beneath his shirt. God, I wanted him. I didn't give a shit that he was almost twelve years my senior and my father's Capo. I wanted a man, a real man. My desire for him escalated at his words.

"Fuck me? Oh, yes, please, don't mind if I do. Now that sure came out wrong too, didn't it?" I laughed.

“Lorena, fucking stop! There can’t ever be anything between us.” He stood, sighed and ran both his hands down his face again, almost scratching himself this time in frustration.

"Even if you weren’t seventeen and I wasn’t almost double your age, there’s no chance in hell that would ever happen, so wipe that thought from your head now. I never want to hear you mention it again, even in jest. You hear me.” His voice was firm and stern to the last word. But I knew he was lying. He wanted me.

Beads of sweat trickled down my breasts. Thoughts of the two of us together consumed me. All I could think of was what it would be like to be with him. To have him hold me, caress me and treat me like a woman, not a little girl. I didn’t give a shit who my father was. In that respect, I was stubborn, just like my father. Mind made up. It was my mission to make him admit he wanted me even if he was adamant he would never cross that line.

Something inside of me snapped. I walked toward him and stood close enough to touch him. Shit, he was built. I was petite and the sheer size of him next to me was making me breathless and giddy. I rested my hand against his solid chest. I had to touch him.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” His voice was deep, hoarse and raw.

“I want you, Riccardo." I thought he was going to laugh at my admission. He didn't. Instead, his gaze fixed on my mouth as I licked my lips nervously. I had no idea why I admitted that to him. I could feel the sexual chemistry and an awareness pulsed through our bodies. It felt like I was drowning in it and suffocating from its intensity. He tried to take my hands off his chest but I wouldn't budge.

He relented. My hands shook as I smoothed them over his chest. Feeling his warm skin through his shirt, I revelled in his hard and powerful chest. I felt the pressure of his fingers on my wrists. It was as if he wanted to release me but just couldn't bring himself to do it.

“Don't, Lorena. Don't say things like that," he said through clenched teeth.