Maid for the Mafia
What if it was me?

**DAMIEN**

I wake up in my room in my bed with my shoulder on fire and a vixen staring down at me. The painkillers Doctor Scianna gave me have long since worn off. I only wanted tylenol, but I'm pretty sure he hit me with something stronger. Totally worth it for the sight I'm staring at now.

Romany looks nervous sitting on the edge of my bed like she might hurt me. But having her staring at me this way... with worry and fear in her eyes... it does something to my chest. As my eyes play over her voluptuous curves, snagging on all the finest parts, my dick spikes to life and I groan.

"Hey baby," I say groggily.

"You're feeling better, I hope," she says sweetly, leaning down to kiss my lips.

The pressure is too light, like she's afraid to hurt me, so I reach up with my injured arm and snag her closer, thrusting my hips upward so that she can feel every inch of my love for her. Pushing my tongue deep, I moan into her mouth, locking my arm around her when she tries to get away.

"You're going to hurt yourself," she mumbles, laughing.

"I'm stronger than you think."

"I don't doubt it," she whispers, grabbing my dick in a death grip so that I'm forced to release her. Her teal blue eyes are playful and full of heat. Suddenly, I'm reminded of the way she looked when she realized that I was the one holding her. That I was alive.

Her beautiful expressive gaze went from dead and empty to full and alive in the breadth of a second.

I almost lost her to that.

To the empty.

That can never happen again. We almost ruined her. Ruby would not be pleased and now that I know she's alive, I'm pretty sure the four of us might be walking dead men. Romany tosses a look behind her at my closet and I smirk. "Problem, baby?"

"When did you move all my things in here?"

A grin that I'm helpless to control, stretches across my face until I remember what I walked into at lunchtime. "During breakfast."

Her head snaps my way, her beautiful eyelashes fluttering downward. "Oh really?" she taunts in a seductive voice that is all throat. "Whyever did you do that?"

"You know why I did it," I says flatly, sitting up and winding as a wave of nausea takes over. "Fucking Scianna. I told him not to dope me up."

"Scianna? Is that the doctor's name?"

I nod, sucking in a deep breath. "Yeah. Normally, I wouldn't mind but-"

"Normally?" she shrieks. "Just how normally do you get shot?"

"Never, actually. But I've been known to return with broken ribs from time to time."

"Right," Romany hisses with an adorable purse of her full deliciously curved lips. "And why would you decline at all? Are you nuts?"

She's so cute when she's like this, angry. "I already told you why. Every time you're with another man, I am going to be there. From now on."

"From now on?"

My blood heats, jealousy riding through me when I remember how she and Tiny disappeared together this afternoon. I know what they did. How could I not. But I shake it off. I know she doesn't like me when I get jealous. Fuck. \_\__ don't like me when I get jealous.

"Yeah," I growl out. "From now on."

She snickers, standing up and licking her lips. "You're sure up for it?"

My eyes go straight for my dick, which is still rock hard and heavy enough to sink a ship. "What do you think, baby?"

Her gaze goes wistful, a strange sort of sadness filling them. "I'm surprised the Playroom date isn't being canceled." "Why would it be?" I snap harshly.

She shrugs, her eyes icing over. "Just thought maybe rescuing Ruby would be on the menu instead."

"Baby," I start, turning away when I realize telling her the truth of things would likely end more than our plans for the night.

There's a rule about those things. Rescues. They're never done. Negotiations are the go to, not rescues. Never rescues. Telling her so would probably not go over well, so I don't.

In our world, if you get captured, you're on your own. If Ruby wants out of there... she'll have to get out herself. It's a common rule.

More than likely, Santos is keeping Ruby alive for his own selfish reasons. Ruby is dangerous. She's the Red Raider. Santos hanging onto her ensures that she's not out trying to kill him and that is all it does. The fact that she's alive only confirms one thing. She's the fucking best anat what she does and Santos knows it.

And Ruby being Ruby... it's only a matter of time before she's home. She'll figure a way out, one way or another. She's always got a trick up her sleeve.

And you see... as much as I love Ruby, I love her baby cousin more. And the moment Ruby realizes how... close... we've gotten, it's all over. She'll take her cousin away.

So, no. No one is trying to rescue Ruby at the moment and that is the sad and sorry truth. Not me, not Alex, not Mickey, and certainly not Tiny.

"What if it was me?" Romany suddenly asks, stepping into my closet to browse through the raciest pieces of her lingerie.

"What?" I snap, watching her carefully.

"You heard what I said, Damien. What if it was me and not Ruby?" She stops, selecting a white baby doll négligée that is more thread than lace before turning toward me. "Would you come for me?" My eyebrows draw together as I contemplate what she's asking. "Well, it's not you and never would be you because none of us would allow such a thing to happen."

She chuckles, stepping out of my closet. "But what if it did? Would you rescue me?"

The fuck??? "I'd burn the world down looking for you, baby. You better believe I would." And that's the truth.