Christian

From the outside looking in, the crowd might have appeared to simply be a mixture of New York Italians and Irish coming together for the celebration of a christening. What the majority of people wouldn’t notice is that most of the guys were packing and there was an abundance of security stationed throughout the room and around the church.

Why? Because the heads of the Italian mafia and the Irish mob were in one place at the same time. As well as the majority of their leadership and crews.

How did I know this? Because the Italians were my family, ruled by my cousin, Nic DeLuca. And my younger brother, Brandon, happened to be married to Carly, the princess of the Irish mob, as well as being her second.

Before Brandon met Carly, he was Nic’s second. The world of the mafia was a life we were pretty much born into. But, it was never one I was interested in. In fact, I went to college at Oxford in London to distance myself. I went on to gain my PhD and then become an English professor there as well.

Things were even more tense when Nic’s father died, and he was forced to step in and lead. The DeLuca’s were in a nasty war with the O’Reilly’s. I’d been home visiting when Brandon had taken out Carly’s father and helped her to take over. Now there was an alliance between the two, though there were still times of tension. All the more reason for me to stay on the sidelines, the far sidelines.

Then my brother married Carly and they had a little girl, Reagan. She was the most adorable baby, and it came as a complete shock when they asked me to be her Godfather. It also served as a wake-up call. If I continued to stay away, I would miss too much in the lives of my family. Running away wasn’t the solution, so I was back to stay. I’d secured a position with NYU and would start teaching in the Fall.

I hadn’t shared this information with anyone yet. Soon, though. When I was ready. After I figured out how to be a part of the family without being a part of The Family.

My attention was drawn away from my thoughts as Brandon came up to me and threw an arm around my shoulder.

“Thanks for coming, brother.”

“Wouldn’t have missed it,” I told him with a grin. “Never thought I’d see the day when you’d grow up and settle down.”

Brandon’s brown eyes narrowed before a smirk formed on his lips. “Yeah, I guess Ma will just have to focus her matchmaking skills on her oldest son now.”

I rolled my eyes and opened my mouth to make a sarcastic comment, but I was suddenly struck speechless.

The first things I noticed were black stilettos and long, long legs. They were beautifully showcased in a short, black leather skirt. Irritation flared at the lack of length, but I let it go as my eyes traveled up to curvy hips, a small waist, and the most gorgeous tits I’d ever seen. The lacy, white, long-sleeved top she was wearing showed just enough skin to make my mouth water. Her neck was slender and elegant, her face oval shaped, with thick, plush lips, and hazel eyes that narrowed along the outer edge, giving her an almost cat-like look. When she turned to scoot into a bench seat, I could see her light-brown hair hung in soft curls all the way to her perfect ass.

“Who the hell is that?” I breathed.

Brandon’s head twisted until he was glancing in the same direction as me. “Who?”

“The woman that just sat in the second pew.”

“You must mean Mia,” Brandon clarified. “Mia Ricci. She’s Enzo’s sister-in-law.”

Enzo was an older cousin of ours who worked for Nic. We’d all grown up together. He’d gotten married shortly after Brandon and Carly. But it had been the start of the fall semester and my class schedule meant I hadn’t been able to make it back for his wedding and I had the sudden urge to kick my own ass for it.

I wanted to ask more questions about her, but Brandon clapped me on the shoulder and said, “We’re about to get started,” before walking towards the front of the church.

I followed behind him, my gaze continually drawn to Mia. As I took my place by Brandon, I finally caught her gaze. Her eyes widened slightly and swept over me from head to toe. I couldn’t help smirking at the heat in her look. When she noticed my expression, she raised a single eyebrow and cocked her head to the side, causing her curls to tumble down her front to rest on her breast.

It was a struggle to keep my eyes up so it was a good thing the ceremony started at that moment. Still, I couldn’t help covert glances in her direction from time to time.

When everything was done, I hugged my brother and his wife, cuddling my sweet niece close to my chest. A unexpected pang hit my chest, followed by longing. I’d always expected to settle down and have a family someday. It hadn’t really been on my radar lately, though. It still seemed like something that was far down the road. But, for whatever reason, I was bombarded with the desire for those things as I reluctantly returned Reagan to her mother’s arms.

Once again, my gaze was drawn to Mia. It didn’t take long for me to recognize that she was the one who’d brought those feelings to the surface. I didn’t know her, but I had a feeling that as soon as I did, it would confirm my suspicions.

Mia was going to be mine.