Mafia Born

Chapter Two: Welcome Home?

**Veronica's POV**

I took a big gulp praying that the Italian God before me didn't see and attempted to take a step forward. The next thing I remember, I'm stumbling on my own shoe or feet or something, falling face first about to smack right into the concrete steps. My horrible fall was quickly stopped by the one man I was trying not to embarrass myself in front of. He got to me extremely fast and caught me, spinning my body around so my face was looking directly at him.

Now that I'm up close, I could really see all his handsome features. He has strong, piercing blueish green eyes paired with the most delicious looking set of lips on a man I have ever seen.

Normally, I can hold my own when I'm near a handsome or good-looking stranger thanks to my line of work but there was just something different about him. I decided to take my time and try to remember every detail like it would be my last. The minute this man touched me, I was ready to become addicted to everything about him. He sent strange tingles all throughout my body. It was pure bliss and extremely unexpected. Staying away from him was going to be one of my top priorities because love or lust is not on the agenda for this trip.

"I got you." The handsome stranger whispered in a deep husky tone sending goosebumps all throughout my body.

It felt like minutes had gone by while he was holding me in that position before I finally woke up from my trance and decided to get his attention.

"You can put my down now." He nodded and then graciously helped me back onto my feet before speaking again.

"Well aren't you going to say thank you or would you like to stare at me some more?" He said in a sarcastic manner.

I rolled my eyes before responding. "Thanks." A few seconds later, Marco appears behind me and places a hand on my shoulder roughly. I don't think he knows the power of his own strength.

"I see you met this handsome devil Teodoro." He chuckles slightly. Devil is right I think to myself as I give him a quick one over again. I couldn't help myself.

"It's just Teo actually. Easier for most people to say." He offers a smug smirk my way.

"Teo, this is the boss's daughter. We just picked her up from the airfield. Boss man in the office yet?" Marco asked while looking around.

Teo never breaks eye contact from me as Marco was talking. I could have sworn I saw him wink at me for a brief second.

"No, he's still not back from Paris. He should be back early in the morning. Rose has everything all set up for our guest."

I couldn't hide my annoyance after hearing the fact the man I'm supposed to meet isn't even here and let out a long frustrated huff.

"Great. Another day I have to be here." I said as I crossed my arms. Both Marco and Teo looked at me confused. "What? I didn't ask to come here. I actually didn't want to come here at all. I didn't have a choice. Now, are we gonna stand here all day or can one of you beefy buff gentlemen show me where I'm going to be staying? I'm exhausted, jet lagged, and would really like to be alone for a moment." Teo smirks again and Marco laughs.

"You're just like the Boss but mini and well, a lady. Oh this is gonna be great." Marco says before disappearing inside. Teo grabs my bags and heads inside as well.

"You coming, firecracker? Or do you wanna stay out there all day?" I heard Teo call out to me. I quickly went inside and shut the door behind me.

And not to my surprise, the inside was just as elegant as the outside of the house. Double staircase in the foyer as soon as you walk inside, Italian marble everywhere as well as columns all throughout the whole place. This man definitely has a great luxury taste or at least knows who to pay to get it to look this elegant.

Teo leads me to a room down the second floor hallway. The room has a beautiful full queen sized bed draped in a light canopy with matching dresser and vanity to complete the look. Everything looks new and hardly used.

"So this is your room. Enzo tried his best to get everything to your liking." Teo said to me as I slowly looked around the place. I gracefully ran my fingers along the bedspread before I decided to jump on the bed looking up at the ceiling.

"That man doesn't even know me so how does he even know what I like?" I asked not looking at Teo who was still standing in the doorway. Teo began to walk towards me and laid down right next to me looking up at the ceiling as well. I tried to move over a bit because he was a little too close for my liking but he just kept closing the space. I decided to just lay there and try my best to calm my nerves and butterflies growing in my stomach.

"Believe it or not, firecracker, he has been there since the day you were born. He just didn't show it like he should have." We were both quiet for a moment. Teo then sits up and looks down at me. "You have your own private bathroom through that door and a fully stocked closet through that one." Teo then gets up, and heads towards the door. "If you're hungry, the kitchen is on the first floor to the right. And if you want, I can give you a quick tour around today before your father gets back tomorrow morning ."

The butterflies return to my stomach stronger this time around. The mere possibility of being alone with him again is something I'm not prepared to think about rationally. I've been single for a very long time and he's starting to look like some fun. I shake those thoughts out of my head before I sit up and look at him. I started to blush a little when I noticed he had been staring at me while I was lost in my own thoughts.

"No thanks, Teo. No need for a tour. Don't plan to be here that long. But the kitchen is definitely a need to know." He laughed and of course he has an extremely sexy laugh. I mentally roll my eyes thinking how nothing about this man is unattractive.

"I'm just across the hall if you need anything. " Teo closed the door and I was left alone with my thoughts.

**Teo's POV**

The moment I laid my eyes on the boss's daughter stepping out of the car, I could tell she was going to be a hard one to avoid. Working for Enzo, he often spoke of her and how she looked exactly like his wife but had his blue eyes. Seeing her in person instead of the hundreds of photos he has laying around the house, I could definitely see the family resemblance.

Holding her in my arms, even for just a few seconds, told me all I needed to know which was to stay away from this Siren. She has the perfect shade of ocean blue eyes that draw you in and touch your soul without a warning. She's shorter than the average woman I'm used to being with but that just means she will mold perfectly into my arms. And of course she has a voluptuous body paired with a great set of breasts on her. You could tell she had Italian in her genes. But her long blonde hair is what stood out the most to me. Her blonde hair was the exact shade of the sun and was just as bright if not brighter.

I make my way back downstairs to the kitchen where all the guys are hanging out while Rose makes something for the boss's daughter.

"Did you get her all settled, Teodoro?" Rose asked.

"Yes ma'am. She might come down for food. Might not. Who knows? But I can tell she definitely doesn't want to be here." Rose makes a sour face.

"Be kind. Remember, the young lady hasn't seen her father in over 20 years. I doubt if she even remembers anything Mr. Valentino."

"Well I know one thing for sure, Ms. Valentino is definitely better to look at compared to the Don." Said Marco while sipping some coffee.

For some reason, I did not like the way he spoke about her and usually I don't care how he talks about women. Maybe because he's talking about the boss's daughter, I mentally already have respect for her in that aspect.

"Whatcha mean, Marco? What exactly does she look like?" One of the other men asked.

"She's short, extremely curvy, huge t**s and a great round ass. What I would do for a night alone with her. I'd make her forget her own name and have her screaming mine." A few of the men start laughing and Marco continues with his raunchy talk.

"I don't think it's of anyone's best interest to speak about her that way in the boss's house. Might get your tongue cut out for that." I said and all the men get silent. Marco rolls his eyes.

"Lighten up will you. She's an adult. I'm an adult. It's in human nature to want to explore each other's body. I'll pass her along to you once I'm done, Teo." Marco chuckles again but this time his chuckles are cut short as I jump up from my seat and slam him against the wall gripping him by his shirt.

"If I hear you ever, and I mean ever talk about her in that way again, I will personally see that you get your d**k cut off.." I let him out of my grasp and he stumbles to stay on his feet. "Finish your coffee and get the f**k back to work. The Don returns tomorrow morning so quit slacking and do something productive." I then decided leave the kitchen. I couldn't be near Marco for another minute longer.

Marco is like a brother to me in some aspects. We both started working for the Don around the same time and have been working for him ever since. The Don took me under his wing and taught me all about the business. I am his right hand man after all. The second in charge of the great Italian mafia and I f*****g love it.

I love the adrenaline rush I get when I'm caught up in a gunfight, stuck in a high speed chance, or even when I'm with a beautiful woman for the night. This has been my life for as long as I would like to remember and I wouldn't change a damn thing.

I head back upstairs and notice our guest had left the door open. I peak in to see she's casually unpacking and exploring the room designed for her. I also noticed she recently showered and even changed.

She was now wearing short black shorts that barely covered her ass with a white tank top that actually revealed a little bit of the bra she was wearing. I couldn't see much from where I was observing but it was black bra with lace and I wondered if she was also wearing a matching thong under those short shorts. She had hair pulled back into a bun and it sounded like she was humming softly to herself.

I leaned on the doorway and choose to just watched. There's just something about her that makes me feel like I'm under a spell. I want to be near her, hold her, protect her. But the only thing I've been craving to do since I caught her in my arms was taste her luscious pouty lips. Those lips alone could haunt a man in his sleep.

"I can feel you staring at me. It's rude to stare, you know?" She said while closing a dresser.

"I'm sorry. You looked like you were in your own little world. I didn't want to interrupt." Clever I thought to myself. Not totally busted. She rolled her eyes and turned back around. "Settling in okay?"

"I think I'm getting there. The bathroom is simply perfect. I might have to extend my stay just so I can try out the jacuzzi tub." She giggles slightly.

"Wanna come down to get a bite to eat before you head to bed? Rose said she made something for you and Rose is an amazing cook." I smiled at her. She placed one hand on her chin to think for a moment before she answered back.

"I can never say no to food." She blushes and smiles back at me.

"Let me change into comfy clothes and we can head down." I turn around and open the door to my bedroom. I purposely leave the door open and remove my shirt seductively. I could sense her eyes on me and I smirked. I turn to get a different shirt before breaking her stare. "I can feel you staring at me." I hear her gasp and move about her room. I turn around and she's sitting on her bed just looking at her phone. I head to the door and decide to shut it while I continue to change. I don't want to be over confident in front of her. Some teasing and flirting never hurt anyone, right?

**Veronica's POV**

I tried to forget all the naughty thoughts that quickly came into my mind before Teo had the chance to shut his door but I couldn't. He had perfectly sculpted abs and a slight happy trail disappearing down into his pants. I wanted to trace his tattoos and ask about their stories or meanings if they even had one. I'm not usually attracted to a man covered in tattoos but they looked like they belonged on him.

It didn't take too long for Teo to open the door and reveal a more comfy attire. He was wearing a white shirt and black sweatpants and boy did he make sweatpants look good.

"Ready for food, ma'am?" He asked me breaking me out of my perverted thoughts and desires.

"You can call me Veronica. I'm not that old." I said as I head down the stairs with Teo chuckling not far behind.

We made our way into the kitchen and I could smell all the food from the hallway. I noticed an older woman busy on stove cooking away.

"Rose, this Veronica. Veronica, this is Rose." Teo said as he sat down on one of the stools at the island in the kitchen.

Rose turns around and has the friendliest most welcoming smile I have ever seen.

"Welcome home, Ms. Valentino. It's so wonderful to see you again!" The older woman quickly leaves the stove and embraces me. I can't help but return the offer and smile. Her hug was warm and reminded me a little of my mother.

"Again? I'm sorry but I don't remember meeting you before today."

"Oh I wouldn't expect you to, Hunny. The last time you were here you were still in diapers." Rose was busy back at the stove. "I hope you're hungry. I made you a late breakfast. I figured you would still be getting used to the time change and well, who doesn't love breakfast?"

Rose sets a plate full of food in front of me. Scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon, sausage, and Italian toast. She also poured me a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice before starting to clean up her mess.

"This is more than I could have asked for but everything looks and smells delicious, Rose. Thank you." I started to dig in. Teo also had some toast and eggs placed in front of him.

"How was your flight from America?" Rose asked trying to make conversation while doing some of the dishes.

"It wasn't too bad. Long but alright. First time in a private jet though. That was new." I said as I took a sip of my juice.

"Your father has been so excited about your arrival that he wanted to make sure everything was perfect and top notch just for you."

"Yeah, he's even got the guys cleaning s**t around here too. " Teo said in response. Rose turned and jokingly gave him a slight smack on the arm.

"Language, Teodoro. You're in the presence of a young lady. And not just any lady. Don't mind him dear. He's still learning his manners." I couldn't help but laugh.

"I'll have you know I'm the only true gentleman of the bunch. And I know you can agree with me on that, Rose." Rose finished the dishes and was just putting things away at this point.

"I do agree with you on that but still. Watch your mouth." She said sternly.

After I finished eating, I got up and took my plate to the sink and started to clean up after myself. Rose quickly intervened.

"Oh no, Ms. Valentino. That's what I'm here for. Please, allow me."

"Thank you but I can clean my own mess, Rose. Don't want to be a burden." I said as I tried to wash my plate again.

"You are no burden, dear. This is what I'm here for. I take care of the boys, your father, and now I'm going to take care of you." She smiled at me and then continued.

"Well thank you."

"Anytime, dear! Now, I shall retire for the rest of the evening. Plenty to do tomorrow morning. Let me know if you ever need anything while you're here. Just give a shout and I'll be available." And with that said, Rose left the kitchen and I was alone with Teo.

"And that's my cue. I guess I'll see ya around." I get up and start to head to the stairs.

"I'm literally right across from you. I'm pretty sure we'll see each other around." He winked and passed me in the hallway and up the stairs.

I was about to go up and retire to my room myself when my curiosity got the better of me. I thought to do a little exploring on my own before I went to bed so I started wondering the down halls.

I decided to head down the hallway opposite of the kitchen.

The further I walked, the more I could hear muffled noises coming from one of the rooms down the hallway. I walked a little further until I found one of the doors left opened. Inside, I could hear multiple men talking, music in the background, and the sounds of video games. I wasn't too tired yet so I took a chance to head in and check it out.