Snake and Venom

Chapter 12

He didn't even give me a proper proposal! I don't exactly need one, but I won't start something with a guy who I'm using to get what I want.

"You aren't mine Rocco! This is a contract. Now please move your hand before I bite it off." Glaring up at him I watch as the tips of his lips curve up.

He inches closer to my face and my body stiffens. "I am yours Zucchero. This may be a contract, but that doesn't mean you can't use me for your own pleasure." His fingers graze my arm slightly and I pull back. By how hot I am, I can only guess how red my face is.

"Your mother wants you downstairs." Turning away from him I walk towards the door. Once I reach the hall, I close it and rush downstairs. Taking a breath I try to calm my pounding heart. Rocco needs to learn his boundaries. I'm not here to have sex with him.

My father is out there somewhere kidnapped. Why would I be thinking about having sex with him? He may have amazing abs that run from his chest to that sexy V line. Sexy Tattoos that make his eyes even more intense. Amazing hair and teeth. Who knows what he's hiding under those jeans, but I'm not.

"I've called him down. He's changing his shirt." I say pulling out the squeaky chair and sitting in it.

"Thank you, Alessandra. Sorry to make you go up there and see something you probably haven't before." She giggles a bit.

"It's fine! Not my first Rodeo." My words come out honestly. I've seen men naked, just never naked inside of me. Guy's were never my top priority when it came to living life. Pleasing my father was always top of my list. Being as great as my mother required no men.

I've only dated one guy and it lasted for about 2 years. We didn't have any chemistry though so I broke it off. My chance at finding true love is over so there's no point in dwelling.

"I would love you to stop by under different circumstances. You are a part of this family now. I want to get to know you outside of the Russo name." His mother's eyes gleam.

"I'll try." Wearily I smile. His mother seems like a lovely woman, but she's the enemy. I've never had a mother role model so I honestly can't tell if she's being nice or if she's trying to get information out of me.

Either way, I can't get emotionally attached. Especially not to Rocco. No matter how good he may look that's all he has going for him.

When I hear Rocco's footsteps coming down the stairs I get nervous. Don't want him pulling that kind of stunt in front of his parents. Watching him intently round the table he makes eye contact with me. There's something about his gaze. It's not how it was in his room. Soft and gently.

He's looking at me like the first time we met. Cold, calculated, and like he could kill me with one snap of a finger. Adverting my gaze I start to fiddle with my fingers. I hate when he looks at me like that.

After we leave he's going to treat me coldly. Not like a partner! More like a nuisance. He hasn't shown me his gruesome side yet, but I feel like he will if I continue to test his patience. Unfortunately for him, I don't care about the rules. He won't have any control over me even if I hate that scary look.

Putting up a brave act is the best way to get anyone to move on. "We are leaving right after dinner. Alessandra is going to be moving in with me." Rocco announces sitting in the seat right across from me.

"Moving in already! Well, you two should go shopping to make the room look better. I'm sure she doesn't want to stay in a plain white room." His father takes a seat right next to Rocco.

"I've changed my room since you two were last there. Plus I'm sure she can handle it." Crossing his arms he looks at me. Even though I'm not making eye contact I can feel his eyes piercing into me. Seems that he does that to make people feel intimidated.

"None since. She has to feel at home too Rocco." She shakes her head and turns towards the table. With two plates in her hands, she walks over to us.

The food she's made smells so good it almost hurts. My father didn't do much cooking hence I haven't taken on any skills myself. My eyes light up when she set's a plate down in front of Rocco and I. My nose flares when I take in a breath just for the smell.

"Here is my special pasta fagioli al forno." She smiles and heads back over to the counter for the other two plates. Closing my eyes I let out a low hum.

"Have you never had this before?" Rocco says sharply.

My eyes connect with his and I answer carefully. "My fathers always so busy, I've never had a home-cooked Italian meal." Waiting for his mom to sit down I entwined my hands together.

She places her and her husband's plate down and sits next to me. "Go ahead and dig in." She says handing me a fork and some napkins.

Slowly I pick up the knife and start to cut small bite-sized pieces. When I look up the three of them are in a deep conversation.

"Well no technically I didn't want to stay home for our anniversary." Aurora rolls her eyes.

"That's what we agreed on though sweetheart." His father frowns.

"I only said yes because you had 'Business to take care of.'" Shaking her head she takes a bite of her food. "Excuse me if I wasn't born into the Mafia. I don't understand putting it before family." Rolling her eyes she scoffs.

"How did you two meet." My mouth moves on its own. My curiosity has gotten the better of me. But I want to know more about his mom and dad for some reason.

His dad slouches in his seat and Aurora turns to me. "We met when we were in our 20's. I was 27 and he was 29." Looking up at the ceiling she smiles as if lost in a memory.

"That day I was in the library and I dropped a stack of books on his head. He had a large bruise on his eye." She shifts in her seat. "I offered to help him clean it off. He didn't even flinch and said he was fine. I guess now it makes sense. Being in the mafia you get hurt a lot." She looks over at him and he smirks.

"Then I insisted I would put ice on it. When he finally agreed I took him to the coffee shop next door. Long story short he kissed me while I had the ice on his forehead. We went through hardships. When I found out what he did I was a little scared." She frowns and lowers her head.

"When I saw him kill someone I can admit I wanted to run away. He didn't let me go though. I knew too much. He couldn't kill me so he just kept me around. Eventually, we fell in love. Then we got married and started a family." Taking her husband's hand she kisses it.

"You were a real pain in the ass back then." He chuckles.

Something about the way they smile at each other lovingly makes my heart so warm...