The Mafia’s Wanted Desires

JAXON

I pushed the glass doors open, letting myself onto the rooftop. The chilling breeze that lingered in the air wrapped me up in its airy and soothing essence, running swiftly across every inch of my skin that was bare to its touch.

It cocooned me and I couldn’t help but release a soft sigh. A wave of tranquillity washed over me, luring me into its embrace, and I found my stiff muscles succumbing to the sensation.

The chills that settled on my skin pierced their way through it, easing me off the weight that seemed to burden my shoulders before I stepped onto the rooftop.This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

I tucked my hands into my pockets, striding toward the strong iron bars that made up the rails. My hands dropped on it, wrapping around it immediately while I soaked in the beguiling view of the city from where I stood.

There was a distinct allure the evening possessed from up here. I literally felt like I was floating in the air, utterly captivated by the sheer beauty the night held. The moonlight cocooned the dark clouds with its silvery essence, surrounded by stars that felt like sprinkles of fairy dust.

The bustling city echoed with the sound of moving vehicles that moved in synchrony with the busy street. It was vibrant with life and the golden hue of the lights that surrounded the tall buildings blended with the ethereal glow of the moonlight that oozed on the surface of the earth, seizing me in a chokehold with how enchanting it looked.

The surge of satisfaction that coursed through my veins was simply fulfilling. The view was so surreal and it almost appeared as though I had transcended into another plane, simply because of how breathtaking it looked.

However, it was a distraction because the thoughts I was trying so hard to suppress and needed an escape from started resurfacing and then quenched every bit of satisfaction that dared brew within me.

It consumed me in a matter of seconds, increasing my pressure on the iron bars.

All those pent-up feelings, I visualised it and it morphed into a ball of volcano. It shot through me in the form of an agonising scream, extracting tears and shaky breaths from me.

“Fuck!” I yelled into nothingness. The air mingled with the pain-induced sound that emitted from me, shooting it through the miles away from me.

“Let it all out.”

The masculine voice that came up behind me made my back stiffen. My hands froze against the iron bars. Gathering myself, I swallowed the lump that settled in my throat, spinning around in a painstakingly slow way.

My eyes darted to his figure by the door, watching me with the blankest expression ever.

I was baffled as to why he even spoke to me, because the man hasn’t said a word to me since the thing with Peach happened.

“You don’t have to keep it together if you can’t,” he simply said, walking towards me. He took his place beside me, staring into the night.

His eyes drifted from the sky and landed on me. I had to gulp to keep my breath in place.

“Oh, Jaxon.” He sighed.

“I don’t hate you,” he began, and I exhaled in relief. Heck, I didn’t even know I was holding my breath until he began speaking.

He chuckled.

“Well, I used to, but I don’t think I can hate the man my daughter loves.” He shrugged casually, casting me a wry glance.

“It doesn’t mean I necessarily like you either.” He deadpanned and my heart dropped alongside his words.

“I think I can live with that and I understand where you are coming from. I am not exactly the ideal son-in-law, given the wrong foot we started with.” I explained, maintaining eye contact with him.

His lips quirked in a smile.

“Her mom is just very protective of her. She doesn’t hate you either. It’s kind of hard to hate the person whom your daughter’s life revolves around. She can’t keep a grudge for long.” The ghost of a smile played on his lips.

I nodded without saying a word.

“I love her,” I proclaimed, and he looked at me. His eyes softened and he exhaled.

“I know you do, but it doesn’t mean it doesn’t feel good to hear you say it. It’s all we have ever wanted for her. For her to be happy and I am glad she is finally with a man who completes her.” His eyes mirrored the softness in his words.

“So” The crack in his voice was evident. “So, be good to her.” All I could read in his eyes and hear in his words was an unconditional love of a father for his daughter.

It brought so many tears to my eyes and before I knew what was going on, he was drawing me in for a manly hug, which I reciprocated.

“This still doesn’t mean I like you.” He croaked.

I chuckled. “As I said, I can live with that,” I murmured to him, smiling softly.

“Mr. Gray?”

I was forced to retract my body from his embrace. I looked over my shoulder and furrowed my brows at the warm smile on his face.

“She’s awake and she’s asking for you,” he announced.

_________________

“She is awake and she is asking for you.”

Those nine words impelled my brain into overdrive because, at the speed of light, I was breezily moving past her dad, nearly knocking the doctor down and bolting to her ward.

I nearly tripped on my heels but it didn’t deter me from channelling all my energy into getting to my destination.

I pushed the door open, barging into the ward like a maniac. It attracted the attention of everyone else in the room. They looked over their shoulders, beaming with radiant smiles that sparkled with so much life.

They encircled her frame, obstructing her from my view, but when they saw how apprehensive I looked, they were paving the way for me to get through to her, baring her figure to my view.

My heart stopped.

Not because I was sad or scared. It was because she knocked the breath right out of me with the blooming smile on her face that illuminated the room, mirroring the vibrant energy oozing off her aura.

“Peach…” I choked out in a whisper.

My legs moved me from the spot where I stood at a speed I couldn’t comprehend because how I found myself in her arms was all so blurry.

I gathered her frame in my arms and I broke into uncontrollable sobs at how perfect she felt in my arms. I didn’t care that it appeared like I wanted to fuse my body with hers. I just wanted to hold her and feel her against me.

When she enclosed her arms around me, I melted into a puddle against her, sniffing against her chest. I breathed in her scent and I could feel every dead cell in my body awakening with a renewed sense of energy.

The rejuvenation I felt was overwhelming.

She smelled like antiseptic but it didn’t make her less appealing. She consumed me with her embrace, pressing her body against mine like she was so scared I could let her go.

My sobs, her silence, and her touch were the words we needed to say at that moment. I was content with not having to say anything. I just wanted to be in her arms for eternity.

The receding footsteps indicated that our family were quietly leaving the room. They could sense how our souls were rekindling like an old flame and wanted to give us all the space we needed.

“I missed you. Fuck. God, I missed you. I missed you, Peach. It hurts. I missed you.” I was rambling in her arms and all it earned me was a soft chuckle that made me squeeze her frame even more, sighing in bliss.

“Can you say something?” I whispered.

“Hey, husband man.” Her luscious voice seeped into my ears and shot through me like a surge of vibration that ignited every dead feeling in my body.

“Hey, baby,” I mumbled back at her, not letting her out of her grip. She didn’t seem to mind. She wanted me to hold her as much as I could.

I let her out of my arms after relishing her embrace.

Her brown eyes seized me in a chokehold, stripping me of my breath when I locked eyes with her. They gleamed with so much life, their vibrance rubbing off on me. It felt like our souls were merging through our eye contact. I could feel her. All of her. Her energetic mood fuelled me up instantly, completing me like a puzzle.

My eyes scanned every inch of her face, taking it in bit by bit of her flawless face, and I was left to wonder how she managed to appear more ethereal than she previously was.

I was consumed by this woman. I knew it but the thought of it still felt so surreal and made me giddy with happiness like a little child.

“Do I-”

I was cursing under my breath in a nanosecond, gently grabbing the back of my head and capturing her lips in a kiss.

I didn’t know how much I had missed her until our lips connected, dissolving the world around us. It rendered it hollow, transcending us into a plane where only our presence mattered. Her soft lips against mine engulfed my being into flames, incinerating me into ashes yet, making me feel the most alive I have ever felt.

Our lips moved in sync, tossing us into an endless loop of ecstasy that consumed every inch of our being. My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach, erupting into butterflies as my lips stroked hers hungrily, claiming her and showing her just how much I had missed her.

She moaned against my mouth and I felt myself overwhelmed with a burning sensation that coursed through me, causing me to fist her hair in my hands.

My lips slowly detached from hers. I gave her lower lips a soft tug, breathing heavily against her mouth. My head connected with hers and her hot breath kissed the skin of my face, leaving me all hot all over.

“I love you, Arden. I am so sorry I couldn’t tell you. I am really sorry. I love you and I am so sorry for all I put you through.” Her words were overpowered by her loud sobs.

I brought my hands to her face, wiping her tears with the pad of my thumb.

“Say it again,” I whispered, awestruck.

“I love you, Jaxon Arden Gray. So much.” She repeated the words that reached out to the core of my soul, striking the perfect chords.

I gasped, tears suddenly filling my eyes.

“Fuck, I love you, baby,” I responded, kissing her softly.

“And our baby,” I added, placing my palm on her tummy. A look of surprise flashed across her face, eliciting a teary chuckle from me while I nodded vigorously in affirmation.

“Oh, my God…” Her voice trailed off shakily. Her eyes shone so brightly with happy tears. She placed her hand over mine, caressing it softly with her eyes fixated on mine.

“I’m going to be a mum?”

“Yes, baby. You are going to be a mum and you will make me a father. You don’t know how happy you have made me with this.” I voiced out and she let out a strangled sob, burying her face into my chest.

“I am so sorry, Peach. For leaving, for putting you and our baby in harm’s way. I am so sorry.” I apologised and she lifted her head off my chest.

“I am sorry for everything too. I shouldn’t have lied to you. I am so sorry.” She mumbled back at me, her voice equally as quivering as mine.

“I am so glad I got you back, baby.”

Then, she looked at me and smiled. “Until our last breath, remember?”

“Until our last breath,” I affirmed, and with those words, I locked lips with her again and felt my heart stop in the process.

She was that love that came without warning. The redemption I didn’t know I needed until I set my eyes on her. Ashley Evaline Gray was my anchor.

She completed me and made me feel more alive than I have ever felt.

And with her?

Forever seems exciting.