"Marry me." He kissed my mouth, hard, so hard I fell back against the bed with a huff.

"What?"

"Again, for real, marry me." His lips collided with mine as his tongue entered my mouth. My breathing picked up as his hands moved to the skin of my stomach. "Please, please don't say no. I won't survive it, I won't, Mo."

"But..."

Tex's mouth a.s.saulted mine again, stealing my words.

"But, the contract."

"Void." He teased my lower lip with his tongue. "Ripped up."

"What?" I gently pushed against his chest. "How? Why?"

Tex sighed and leaned back. "It's a long story."

"So tell me."

"Say yes first."

I grinned at his hopeful look, he was too beautiful, even after seeing all the death and destruction, I could look at him and see beauty, I could see goodness, love, desire. His blue eyes flashed with hunger as he leaned in, the roughness of jaw brushing against my cheek. "Say yes."

"What was the question again?"

Tex pulled back and stood in front of me, gripping both my hands, then as if having second thoughts, bent down on one knee. "Marry me, not because you're forced at gun point, not because you have to, not because there is no choice, or a d.a.m.n contract signed in blood.

Marry me because I love you. I love Monroe Abandonato with every bone in my body, I love you. Marry me, because you want to, because I can't survive without you, because I don't want to imagine a world where we aren't together. Marry me, because I can't stand the thought of waking up next to anyone one else but you, for as long as G.o.d allows me to live, I want to wake up to your face, your lips, your smile, you. I just want you. G.o.d knows Mo, if I were given one wish in this world, I'd ask for you. Every time. I'd ask for you."

Tears streamed down my face as I nodded. "Yes, yes I'll marry you."

His mouth crashed into mine as he pushed me back onto the bed, hovering over me as he searched my eyes. Then with a soft moan, he tracked kisses over my lips, down my neck, back up to my chin... I groaned with delight as he lifted my shirt, his mouth moving across my stomach, caressing every inch of my skin until my body burned for him.

"Wait." I gasped pushing at his hard body. "How?"

He stopped kissing me and rested his head against my chest. "Does it matter?"

"How did the contract get destroyed?"

Tex slowly lifted his head.

"Phoenix."

"Can he do that?"

"He's the new boss of the Nicolasi family. He can do whatever the h.e.l.l he wants, from ripping contracts to lighting his pants on fire." He slowly inched his way up the bed until our mouths met.

"Now, can we please make love? I'm tired of making war, Mo. I'm finally tired of making war."

"Yeah," I croaked. "We can make love."

He kissed me soundly on the mouth.

I arched up to meet him as a frenzy took a hold of me. Free! We were finally free to be together. I gave myself up to him with a cry as he pulled my shirt over my head and kissed me gently on the chin.

"Three hours?" I teased.

Tex's breathing was ragged as he reared back and spoke in reverence.

"Every hour." He kissed my forehead.

"Every day." His kiss moved to my right cheek, then my left. "For as long as we both shall live."

"Wow," I breathed. "That's a lot of hours."

"Promise me forever-I'll give you eternity." His lips caressed mine. "I'll give you everything."

"Good." I tugged on his hair as he let out a slight groan. "Enemies?"

"Always..." I teased as my arms wrapped around his neck. "Until the end?"

He chuckled and then peeled off his own shirt. "d.a.m.n right, until the end."

CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE.

And so it begins... a legacy n.o.body wanted, dropped into a killers lap.

Phoenix MY HANDS SHOOK as I stared at the stack of papers in front of me. A year ago I wouldn't have been intimidated by black and white ink, by signatures and dotted lines.

But I was absolutely terrified.

My mind wouldn't allow me to register the fact that Luca had planned the entire thing, that he'd pre-determined that I was worthy when he wasn't even sure I would be.

Faith that I really didn't deserve and a type of love I never really got to know-until it was too late.

Frank had the papers in his car-in his d.a.m.n car! Like Luca knew he was marching off to his death!

After reading through the first paragraph my knees buckled and I fell to the ground, groaning, screaming- mourning.

It took Tex, Nixon, and Chase to finally pull me to my feet and take me into the office. Even then, I was so raw, so alive that I was afraid if anyone touched me I would scream in agony from the pain of the emotions swirling through me.

"Do you need me to read it?" Nixon had asked once I'd calmed down enough to breath and keep from pa.s.sing out.

I nodded, biting down on my fist as I stared at the wall.

Nixon read, I heard nothing.

Two hours into it I finally told them to leave me alone... everyone left but Tex. I knew what he wanted, could see it in his eyes, tension and antic.i.p.ation had wrapped itself so tightly around him that the guy hadn't stopped clenching his fists.

"Phoenix." Tex licked his lips and took a seat across from me. "I don't know if threatening you will do anything.

But I'll threaten you if I have to." His eyes flickered towards mine before staring back at the floor again. "If you'd rather I cry, I can do that too."

I sighed, hunching my shoulders, trying to crawl into myself.

He cleared his throat. "If you want me to get on my knees, fine." With a grunt, he dropped, his knees. .h.i.tting the dark wood floors with a thunk. "I'll get on my d.a.m.n knees, I'll beg and I'll plead until my voice is hoa.r.s.e... don't make me marry someone I don't love. Don't allow that contract to go through. Make your first act as boss a positive one, for me, for Mo, for The Family." His tone turned desperate as he reached for his hair and tugged tightly, his teeth clenched as a hoa.r.s.e cry escaped his lips. "I love her so much. I can't breathe man, I can't freaking breathe without that woman, I can't-" A tear fell down his cheek before he could stop it. "I can't do this life without her by my side. The darkness... it's so cold, but it's inviting, you know? Like I could lose my d.a.m.n soul and it would be okay-she pulls me from that, she's the only one that can, the only one that makes that hole not feel so big." His hands shook as he rocked back and forth. "Please..." His voice cracked. "Please, Phoenix, please give me this one thing. I'm begging you, man to man, friend to friend, boss to boss, please give me Monroe Abandonato."

I didn't deserve his begging.

I would have had said yes had he decided to punch me in the face and laugh afterwards-I owed him that much. Besides, something told me that I would need a favor from him someday, one of epic proportions.

But it wasn't the driving force behind my decision. I thought back to Luca, the type of man he was. In that moment, he would have looked stern, possibly p.i.s.sed, but he would have done the right thing. He always did the right thing, so to honor his memory, I did the right thing for the second time in my life, I did the right d.a.m.n thing.

"Tex." I fought like h.e.l.l, I fought the emotions coursing through my veins, I fought the anger, the fear, the humility.

"You didn't even have to ask."

Blinking rapidly, he looked into my eyes, his own full of unshed tears.

"What?"

I stood and held out my hand. He gripped it as I pulled him to his feet. "I want my first act as boss to be a good one, a pure one, G.o.d knows not all decisions will be as easy as this." I pulled him in for a hug. His arms tightened around me as I whispered. "Be happy, brother." Because that's what he was, a brother, and I vowed in that moment to never, ever let my brothers down again. Not Nixon, not Chase, not Tex.

Minutes later when he walked out of the room, I broke down and cried. I cried because I'd finally been given what I'd wanted my entire life-but the cost had been too great.

The man undeserving.

How did people survive this? Tears poured down my face as the realization that I would never be able to earn what Luca had given me, but I sure as h.e.l.l was going to try.

CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO.

Maybe blood doesn't always win out- maybe sometimes love can trump blood.

Mo I WOKE UP WITH a smile on my face-I tried really hard to look cool about it too. I'm lying next to the s.e.xiest man on earth and he's all mine, no biggie, right? Right?

No. I glanced to my left. That would be a h.e.l.l no.

His arm was thrown above his head and the blanket had fallen down to his waist revealing his tight golden abs and part of his hip bone. My breathing picked up speed as I kept looking.

Tex's hand shot out and gripped my wrist. Laughing, I tried to pull back, but eyes closed he lifted me effortlessly onto his body and placed his hands on my hips.

One eye opened, then two, as a smirk crossed his face. "Morning beautiful."

"Don't you mean good morning?" I leaned down and kissed his mouth softly.

"Freaking great morning." He returned my kiss with fervor. "Best morning of my life. You?"

"Ah." I pulled back and shrugged.

"I'd give it a seven or eight."

Tex bucked underneath me, tossing me against him and then flipped me onto my back as he kissed down my neck.

"Yeah, yeah, keep talking."

I.

arched beneath his touch.

"Talking's overrated."

"Yeah." He ripped the blankets from the bed and devoured me with his deep blue eyes. "It really is."

When we joined everyone for breakfast an hour later, things appeared normal, well as normal as our family got. Nixon was cleaning guns, Chase was arguing with Mil about chickens-I didn't want to ask. Trace was pouring herself a third or possibly fourth cup of coffee. Sergio was staring at the wall, probably pondering ways to kill things and cereal was everywhere.

Arguing burst out between Trace and Chase the minute I sat down, again with the chickens.

I grinned and poured myself a cup of coffee, briefly meeting Tex's gaze. He yawned and then said loudly. "So Nixon, I slept with your sister last night."

All talking ceased.

A vein on the side of Nixon's temple pulsed, he calmly set down his gun, still pointing it in Tex's direction and leaned forward. "And by sleep you mean, you were guarding her virtue or taking it?"

Tex winked at me. "I took it."

Nixon stood.

Tex laughed and crossed his arms.

"Three times?" He scratched his head.

"Or was it four? Mo?"