Her Mob Boss (Book Three Of The Brave Series)

14-Growing Closer Yet Farther Apart

Elena fell to the ground hard, her cheek screaming in throbbing pain. She had just come back from school, the last day of eighth grade. She was late due to a ceremony the school had had for the eighth graders. A celebration for moving forward to high school. Elena had enjoyed herself, but she knew she shouldn't have.
     Jackson was mad. Seething that dinner hadn't been made by the time he came back from work and he was taking it out on her. After all, it was her job to take care of him, at least that's what he'd been hammering into her head for the entirety of her existence in this household.
"I'm sorry, it was for school." she tried to defend herself. She knew better. Defending herself never helped the situation. This time was no different. His nostrils flared, his handsome face twisting into and unnatural and purely terrifying snarl. He leaned down, gripping her small throat in his hands and pulled her to her feet.
"Worthless, can't do anything right can you?" he growled at her as she struggled to breathe. She didn't fight, she never did. She couldn't bring herself to do it because she was the reason he was like this. It was her fault.
"I-m s-orry." she choked out as tears streamed down her face.
"Elena?" the soft, gentle voice caught her off guard and suddenly she wasn't being choked. She knelt on the ground, taking in deep breaths until she felt a gentle squeeze on her shoulder. She jumped, turning around, terrified of it being Jackson playing some sick choke on her. But it wasn't him.
     It was Rysen.
His beautiful pale green eyes stared at her with a kind smile and Elena stared at him before leaping into his arm.
"Rysen!" he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly as she cried into his shoulder repeating his name over and over as she thanked him. He took her chin in his hand, leaning her face up to his and before she could react, his lips were on hers. She didn't move, frozen in that moment, eyes wide open. He was staring back at her, eyes half closed as he seemed to stare into her soul. Her eyes closed then as the butterflies in her stomach fluttered around uncontrollably. He pulled away too soon.
"Elena, wake up." she looked up at him, confused.
"What? What do you mean?" he looked at her, then stood.
"Wake up, wake up, wake up!"
     Rysen had woken up, still holding Elena tightly. They hadn't moved an inch but when he looked down at her face, the fear was evident as she muttered apologies, wet tears slowly falling from her eyes. She was having another nightmare. He placed his hand softly on her cheek, wiping away the tears, wanting to help her someway. He didn't know how to help this small, beautiful girl, all he knew was that that was all he desired to do anymore.
 "Rysen." he froze when his name fell from her lips as her terrified expression fell into one of contentedness. Rysen's breath froze as she called out to him, over and over. His chest tightened the more she said it to the point where he just couldn't take it anymore.
"Elena, wake up. Wake up, wake up, wake up!"he jostled her shoulder gently, until she took in a deep breath and her eyes slowly opened, then those beautiful chocolate doe eyes were staring back into his own. Her eyes widened in shock until what happened last night came back to her. Her cheeks turned pink then. Rysen smiled, running his thumb over her burning cheek.
"Good morning." he whispered. She avoided his gentle gaze to the best of her abilities, that is until she realized he wore no shirt underneath the blanket. He must have taken it off throughout the night.
"Morning." she squeaked out, noticing all of the ink on his well toned chest. Dear God, she was going to overheat looking at his body like this. She placed her hands on his chest, trying to ignore the heat radiating off of him as she tried to push away from him. She didn't get far though as he wrapped his toned arms around her waist and pulled her back to him, their bodies chest to chest, stomach to stomach. Elena let out a little squeak as she looked back up to Rysen.
"Where are you going?" he asked her, a small smile on his god-like face.
"I-I was just going to get ready f-for school." she stuttered out. Her mouth growing dry at the scent of him. Leather and lemon. He smirked.
"It's five in the morning." he said. Elena froze, turning her head to look at the alarm clock that sat on the end table. five-fifteen in the morning. Crap, she wasn't getting out of this one. She turned back to Rysen to find him watching her. She chuckled nervously.
"Just lay with me?" he asked her causing her nervous laughter to cease as she swallowed tightly. Looking into his eyes, he seemed almost...vulnerable. So she nodded, and set her head back down on the pillow. Their faces were inches apart making her remember the dream she had just woken from. She couldn't continue to look him in the eyes, so she looked down focusing on the black ink covering half of his chest.
Soon she was transfixed by the art, looking at it with focus now. Covering his heart was what looked two handguns, pointing away from each other, what looked like Latin surrounding it in a perfect arch. Not realizing she was even moving Elena's fingers touched the skin.

Rysen sucked in a breath at the feel of Elena's soft fingertips to his skin. She didn't seem to notice as her fingers traced the ink surrounding his skin.
"'To be strong, is to be one.'" she whispered shocking him that she could read the Latin of his family's crest. She pressed her lips together in concentration as she looked over the rest of the art on his chest that linked to the art on his left arm. His focus was aimed at her mouth, the full bottom lip that she pulled into her mouth, biting the corner of it.
All he wanted in that moment was to feel what her lips would be like on his, to taste her. He wondered if she had ever kissed anyone before. A sense of jealousy ripped through him at the mere thought. He'd kill whoever dared touch his woman.
He paused then, his brain freezing, processing what he was thinking. She wasn't his woman, so why was he getting so riled up at the mere thought of her kissing someone else? If she wanted to kiss a guy, she had every right to! So why was he getting angrier at himself for trying to find reason? Letting out a frustrated sigh he pulled away from her, her throat letting out a surprised squeak as he hopped off the bed and walked into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him, uncaring of what time in the morning it was. He needed to get this woman out of his head, and he would do just that.
By the time Rysen stepped out of the bathroom, Elena was already showered and dressed for the day, having probably used the downstairs bathroom. She looked insanely adorable in her black flats, another skirt, this one a rich green color, with a tight black t-shirt tucked underneath, a slight up top to reveal a little bit of cleavage that caught his attention a little too much. Her long hair was down except for a braid on the left side of her hair.
She smiled at him shyly then but he ignored her, walking into the closet to change. When he came back out she wasn't in the room. The sound of the front door opening and Chase and Harry's enthusiastic voices caught his attention and he went downstairs.
As he came to the landing he noticed both Chase and Harry giving Elena a hug. She smiled at them as they spoke their greetings and Rysen felt his anger rising along with his jealousy. Why was he so damned possessive over her? He was never like this with other women, he couldn't give a damn if another male was touching any of his exes or toys. But his best friends were giving Elena a hug and suddenly he wanted to shoot them both in the foot.
Rysen stepped down and up to Elena. She smiled at him again and he had to bite his tongue to keep his feigned disinterested appearance as he shoved the phone he'd purchased he night before at her.
"Here. If I call or text you answer, no exceptions." he stated simply before turning and grabbing his keys.
"I'm driving to school alone." he grunted out before opening the door and slamming it behind him. He needed to get Elena Rebel out of his damned head.
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A little shorter of a chapter buuut what do you think?
J. Vas