It's Us Against Them: A BWWM Interracial Italian Mafia Romance

By D.M. Bryce

Jade and Anthony have been best friends since sharing a Twix in the third grade. One mean old mob boss and his oversized goon come to town and have the best friends thinking about becoming more than friends. 

Jade never let herself think about Anthony in that way… 

Her life had been going just fine. She'd taken over her grandmother's flower shop, Nipped in the Bud, and she had her own place and plenty of friends to give her love and support. So what if she hadn't been on a date in so long she couldn't remember. One kiss with her best friend was all it took to make Jade open up her eyes to what she's been missing. 

Anthony didn't want to risk losing Jade, but he had to have her… 

Anthony hadn't thought much about him and Jade being more than friends since their failed date back in high school. But one scorching hot kiss and he couldn't stop thinking about smooth brown skin and sweet pouty lips. Add in a new mob boss and his merry band of henchmen and Anthony has to figure out how to keep her safe while trying to get her to fall in love with him. 

Can they figure it out before the mobsters ruin everything? 

Note: The cover story is a sweet & sexy 15,000 word novella, with no cliffhangers, and a happily ever after! 

This book contains spicy love scenes, colorful language for 18+ readers. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: D.M. Bryce
• Release date: Nov 19, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386876366

Book preview

One

"You don’t have to do that Anthony. It’s my job and you’re making me look bad." Jade Summers rolled her eyes and gave her best friend an indulgent smile. He was a gentleman that was for sure, but he was also a pain in her oversized butt.

Anthony Morelli smiled at her, light brown eyes sparkling with amusement. Nothing could make you look bad, sweetheart. He flashed a wink and those long legs carried him through her front door where his van waited.

Jade followed with a few decorate vases filled with tulips. Anthony used her flower shop every week to fill the beautiful Italian restaurant he owned. The décor, just like the menu at Morelli’s Table, was a blend of classic and modern Italian cuisine. She was happy to provide the flowers because the place was beautiful and homey. Don’t try to charm me, Anthony Dominic Morelli. This is my shop and my job. Sit your butt down and I’ll take the flowers to the van.

Picking her up and moving her aside, Anthony laughed when she smacked his ass. I don’t think so, babe. You worked hard on the arrangements, so the least I can do is the heavy lifting. Besides that dress was made for sitting around and looking pretty.

She glared at him but felt herself grow warm at his words. A girl always liked to hear someone thought she looked good. Thanks, but I can do it in an evening gown if I wanted to.

Light brown eyes looked at her, slightly confused. What happened to the customer is always right? Isn’t that a thing in the service industry?

She flashed a sickly sweet smile up at him. The customer is always right, but sometimes they need to be lead to the right answer. That’s what I do. Patting his cheek gently she skirted the glass counter and headed to the refrigerator for more vases. Her former best friend grabbed them right from her hands and strolled out, whistling. Whistling! All she could do was shake her head at his antics. They’d been friends since the third grade when he’d been the new kid everyone picked on daily. Until one day Jade shared her Twix with him. You’re my new best friend, she told him with an adorable smile and took a bite of her candy.

With a shrug, Anthony gave her a nod and simply said, Cool.

---

They’d been pretty inseparable ever since. His parents moved to the house across the street from the home she shared with her grandma and they’d spent every spare moment together. They played together, studied together, double dated, and even when they’d gone to separate colleges in the same city they managed dinner together most nights.

You two make a lovely couple, dear. Mrs. Arlington with her slightly pink tinged silver hair smiled and touched her shoulder.

Jade frowned. We’re just friends, Mrs. Arlington. I’ve got some of those Texas bluebells you love so much, let me show you. Luckily the woman was easily diverted, being an even bigger flower enthusiast than Jade. She’d inherited Nipped in the Bud from her grandmother when she retired, after spending her childhood working beside her favorite person in the world and learning everything about flowers and floral arrangements. Now it was hers and it was her baby.

Friends, she scoffed. Yeah, my Monty was a friend too before I snatched him up and made him my husband. She bent to smell the deep purple flower. Trust me, you and that handsome boy are more than just friends. If you open your eyes, you might get more time with him than I had with Saul. Her husband died when Jade was in the eighth grade, yet she still talked about him with so much love, she was almost envious.

Jade gave her an indulgent smile before turning the conversation back to flowers. But the idea of Anthony being a boy, well that just amused her. The man was over six feet tall with broad shoulders and a lithe frame any swimmer or runner would envy. Despite working in one of the best restaurants in town, there wasn’t an ounce of fat on him. Mostly because it was all on her. I found some of those English roses you love, and they’re just about ready to bloom. What do you say.

Seeing she wasn’t going to get any answers from her favorite florist, Mrs. Arlington nodded and followed. "Fine Jade, you play coy with me. I expect an invitation to the wedding, your grandmother Mae is a damn fine woman , one hell of a