After Dark (Mature) *Completed*

Twenty Five

Finishing off her outfit, Serenity smoothed down her wig. Being unable to completely digest her situation she turned to clothing as a distraction. As she looked over the things Angelo brought from her apartment she couldn't help but sigh. Her heart ached to be in her own home even despite the things that took place. A knock on the door broke her stare.

"It's open!"

"Angelo sent me up to tell you breakfast is ready. We all like to eat together, but we can bring the food up if you're not comfortable." Vinni announced from the doorway. He stood in black jeans and a black shirt. Looking down at her own outfit, she felt entirely overdressed.

"No, it's fine, I'll come down. Let me just get changed."

"Why? You look beautiful." She felt her cheeks heat at the comment and turned to stare at herself in the mirror.

"You don't think I'm overdressed?"

"Absolutely not. If you like what you're wearing, who gives a fuck what anyone in here has to say." He stepped closer and placed his hands on her shoulders. The words weighed out in her head as she stared at her outfit. She didn't want to be seen as trying too hard but she, also, genuinely liked her outfit.

"Come on. Let's go show these bums what true beauty looks like." He grabbed her hand and pulled her out the room. A giggle escaped her as they jogged down the stairs- the encouragement making her feel better.

As they entered the dining room, the smile on her face fell as she noticed all the people in the room. They were all large built, young adult men who looked ready to kill at any moment. Her eyes fell on Angelo whose eyes were glued on their connected hands- the orange juice in his hand long forgotten.

His eyes flickered back up to her, a warning within them telling her shit was about to turn sideways if she didn't let go. Confidence spiked in her and a smirk fell on her lips.

"I'm starving, Vinni. Can you show me where the food is?" She fluttered her lashes up at him while rubbing his arm lightly. The dumb question slipped past his mind as lust filled his eyes and he nodded eagerly. Walking with him to the kitchen, she purposefully leaned into his side.

Before they could make it fully, the scrapping of a chair against the floor made them stop. All chatter stopped at the sound and Serenity bit her lip to keep a smile off her face.

"You take another step with my woman and I'll kill you." He growled out, the low tone sending chills down her spine. She let go of Vinni and turned to see Angelo pointing a glock center mass at Vinni.

"Woah, relax! I didn't know she was yours, fratello, I meant no disrespect." Vinni quickly threw his hands up and stepped far away from Serenity. She rolled her eyes and turned to walk into the kitchen. Although she wasn't sure what her end plan was, she knew it wasn't supposed to end like this.

Stepping into the kitchen, she found a buffet style layout of food and her stomach growled. Searching the pristine white cabinets she kept an eye out for a plate.

"You think you're funny huh?" The deep voice made her jump and she almost dropped the plate clutched in her hand.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Angelo." She played innocent and walked back towards the food keeping her eyes off him. Waffles, sausage, eggs, avocado toast, strawberries, and mango were piled on to her plate.

"Put the plate down and come here." Her stomach dropped at the command.

"Mmm... no. I don't think I will." Finally, she turned to see him leaning against the island directly behind her. He was dressed in his usual attire-a slim black suit with a dark dress shirt. If there was one thing she'd never lie about, it'd be that Angelo didn't look damn good. His hair was combed back and his normally light blue eyes were dark.

"Serenity." His tone nearly made her come undone right there. Sensing where this was going, she quickly made a beeline for the exit and scurried back into the dining room. She could hear his footsteps close behind so she quickly took a seat at the table.

"How are you, Frank?" A smile graced her face at the appearance of the older man. He had put on a grey t-shirt with dark wash jeans. Once again the chatter around her died down and she realized these men would probably die before they called Frank by his first name- a sign of respect.

"I'm doing alright, tesoro. How are you? Any of these brutes bothering you?" He smiled back at her, reaching across the table to pat her hand.

"No. No. No trouble here." Looking around at the men, they all have her a nod before returning to their previous conversations. Her eyes landed on Angelo who now stood at the far end of the dining room talking with a group of men. "Well all except one."

Frank's hardy laugh broke her gaze at Angelo's back and she turned towards him. The laughter turned into a coughing fit and she quickly jumped from the table to rub his back. Worry washed over her at the sound- it was filled with pain.

"Here you go. Drink slowly." She spoke softly as it died down while passing him water. Shaky hands took the glass and she held his elbow to steady it- a trick she'd learned when her father got too weak to hold a glass of water.

"Thank you, tesoro." His voice was now weak and breathless. Feeling his forehead, she didn't feel any excessive heat. Her eyes scanned his features for any signs of why the fit had occurred.

"I'm alright. These things happen when you get old." A small smile was on his face as he pat her hand to stop her assessment.

"Mmhhh, I'm watching you." She joked back while pointing a finger at him. Turning to return to her seat, she nearly ran into Angelo's chest. The worry on his face let her know it wasn't simply due to age.

She squeezed his arm to let him know she was there for him- his eyes slowly moving away from his father. Placing a small smile on her face she tried to mentally let him know everything would be okay. As if sensing her attempts, he leaned down and placed his forehead against hers.

"We can talk later." She whispered against his lips and he nodded before connecting their lips. It was soft and filled with love- her heart racing as she realized how much she truly felt for this man. She slowly pulled away, placed a kiss to his cheek, then walked back to her plate.

As she took a bite of her toast, she finally looked up to see Frank smiling at her brightly. It was filled with pride and caused a smile to bloom on her own lips.
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"Fratello, we might have to head back sooner than expected." The voice of Vinni broke through the dining room. Serenity had two plates and was feeling their affect. Turning, she took note of the annoyed look on his face. As Angelo looked at the phone in Vinni's hand, his face took on the same annoyance.

"We can talk in a minute. Bella, come with me?" He held his hand out to her and she placed hers in his, allowing him to pull her up. They walked back upstairs to the room she'd been sleeping in. Plopping down on the bed she patiently waited for him to speak.

"I'm sure you heard we have to go back to Italy sooner than expected." He shrugged the suit jacket off and crawled into bed next to her- moving her legs on to his lap- his hands instantly massaging her calves.

"Yeah. What's going on?" She inquired although the food mixed with his massage was putting her to sleep.

"Just some small business that needs to be resolved, but that's not what I want to talk about. I don't want to leave you." His eyes were glassy and his eyebrows pulled together in concern.

"It's alright, I'm a big girl, I survived 20 plus years without you." She joked.

"And I don't want to spend another minute without you by my side." His words caused her breathing to hitch and she found herself unable to respond. Silence filled the room as they stared at one another before Angelo made the first move.

He pulled her almost all the way on his lap before leaning to capture her lips. A chill followed his touch as he ran his fingers up her arms to hold her face in place. She held on to his wrists as he kissed her like he'd never see her again- her head feeling light.

"I love you." He whispered as he pulled away slightly, his lips tickling her own.

"I love you too."
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