Stealing His Christmas Present

By Olivia Ashers

PABLO

I've wanted her from the moment I saw her.

Instead of putting a bullet in her, I let her go. It was the biggest mistake of my life.

I've suffered through hell, and now I'll make her pay.

I'll punish her and claim what's mine, even if I have to steal her from her family first.

It'll be the best Christmas ever...

CLAUDIA

He was my first kiss. The first guy I ever liked. Then it turned out he'd been sent to hunt down my sister and me.

Now, I'm safe and far enough away from him, as well protected as a mafia princess can be.

Only, not even the best security systems and guards are enough to stop him. Somehow, he snatches me from my home just before Christmas.

He wants to break me and bring me to my knees.

I hate him more than anything.

I'll never yield.

Or will I?


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A standalone dark mafia romance. Mature language and content. May contain spoilers for His Entertainment.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Olivia Ashers
• Release date: Jun 5, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201407599

Book preview

Chapter 1

matteo

THIS ONE’S NICE, STELLA said, lifting up a dark blue gown.

I nodded. It would look great on you. Why don’t you try it on?

The deep blue color of the dress went perfectly with her long dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. But my older sister always managed to look beautiful no matter what she was wearing.

No, not for me. For you. Her gaze met mine.

Maybe Stella and I had the same complexion, but my hips were bigger than hers. There’s no way in hell I can fit in that.

Stella narrowed her eyes, looking from me to the dress and back. You should try it on. I say it fits.

No. I waved my hand in dismissal. I want something a lot less revealing. That neckline is terrible. I picked out a plain black cocktail dress. How about this one?

She pressed her lips into a tight line. Do I need to remind you that we’re doing this for Dante’s and my Christmas party and not for a funeral?

I groaned. Who cares? I’m sure your husband won’t care. No one will. And we still have plenty of time until Christmas. I’ll wear something more fun for our family Christmas dinner.

Come on. There’ll be a lot of people at the party. You might meet someone interesting.

Stella had been trying to set me up with someone for a very long time now, but all the guys she’d introduced me to were just...

I didn’t know. It was probably just me not willing to give them a chance rather than there being something wrong with them.

Honey, my mom said, and I spun around. You have to get this one.

She grinned at me, almost shoving the red gown with sequins on the top in my face. Her brown eyes glittered with hope.

I sighed. Okay, fine. I’ll try it on.

Stella clapped her hands, and my mom’s grin widened even more.

What I wouldn’t do to make my family happy?

As I was on my way to the fitting room, I spotted a shadow out of the corner of my eye.

Him.

Pablo.

My throat constricted, my heart jumping into my throat as my breathing quickened.

The dark-haired, dark-eyed guy met my gaze.

Not him.

Shit.

Of course it couldn’t be him. My family’s guards were just outside, and two of them were in the store too. They’d never let an enemy approach me.

I breathed out a sigh of relief, still shaking all over.

Over five years had gone by since I’d last seen Pablo, and yet, I was still overcome with crippling fear whenever I thought I saw him.

But there was no way he was going to just show up here, especially now. The guy who’d sent him to spy on Stella and me was long dead, and my dad, my brother Lorenzo, and Dante were keeping a good eye on the city so that no enemies would ever come after my family and me.

After I tried on the dress—of course, Mom was right, and it was a perfect fit, nice even—I headed back.

So? Mom asked.

I like it, I said.

Her lips spread into a wide smile. I knew it!

Are you okay? Stella asked, her smile fading.

Yeah, sure. I forced my lips into a smile.

Still, I glanced toward the window.

Was Pablo out there somewhere? In Spain? Or was he dead?

It was something I was never going to find out, and it was better like that.

AS STELLA, MOM, AND I were in the car and on our way home, I leaned my head against the window. No matter how much I wanted to stop thinking about Pablo, I couldn’t.

I thought about him so often it was probably not healthy, but I couldn’t help it, and I didn’t want to talk to anyone about it because they’d get worried for nothing.

It was so easy for my mind to whisk me away into a memory.

Back in Spain.

Back at college.

I was so happy then. For the first time ever, I wasn’t holed up in my home. For the first time, Stella and I got to pretend we were just regular college students.

Normal people.

Sure, it was a private college for rich kids, but it didn’t matter. Being a mafia princess sucked because I usually couldn’t go anywhere on my own, and I couldn’t hang out with normal people because there was always a risk something bad might happen.

We had guards, but they were pretending to be students too, so they couldn’t always be around us, especially when Stella and I were in our dorm room.

I’d befriended some girls, and they invited me to a party. Even though common sense told me I should stay in my room, I ignored it.

We were miles and miles away from home.

No one knew who I was because we were using fake identities. Going to a nightclub to party with plenty of students couldn’t hurt, right?

I didn’t think I’d ever be able to do something like that. It was a unique opportunity.

For once, I’d be free.

Completely free.

Normal.

When I entered the club, a thrill surged through me. It was amazing.

The lights. The music. The people.

I danced like I’d never danced before, shaking my hips and raising my arms up.

Then my gaze lifted to a pair of eyes that were so dark I thought they’d swallow me whole.

Strange energy overcame me as his eyes held mine and then traveled my body.

He was the hottest guy I’d ever seen.

Tall and lean, with muscular arms that were covered in tattoos.

Messy short jet-black hair that was as black as his T-shirt. Dark eyes that promised a mystery that wanted to be uncovered.

His dark gray jeans hung low on his hips. His boots were black too.

If I had any brain cells, I would walk away. He looked different from everyone else in the club, even though I wasn’t sure what it was about him that didn’t fit for some reason.

Or, well, I didn’t want to admit to myself that he was danger itself.

But then he approached me.

Hola, guapa, he said, and I was lost.

When he shifted closer, moving in rhythm with the music, it felt so damn right.

I stared into his eyes until we were only inches apart. His arm snaked around my waist and he pulled me against his chest, making me gasp.

It was all like in a dream.

¿Cómo te llamas? he asked.

Sorry. I don’t speak Spanish.

What’s your name? His accent sounded very American, which should totally worry me.

But instead, it impressed me.

Silly me. I was like an animal that had been caged its whole life, and once it was released, it would die out there in the wild.

But since Stella was the one the bad guys were looking for because she was married to Dante, I thought I didn’t matter.

Lea. I barely managed to remember my fake name.

I’m Pablo. It’s nice to meet you.

My lips pulled up into a smile, and I couldn’t stop grinning as I wound my arms around his neck. Our bodies moved as if we’d danced together a thousand times before.

Or, more likely, it felt that way because we were more touching than dancing.

I blinked, pushing Pablo out of my mind. At least for a while.

I’d been so damn stupid and thought there was no way that, with all the precautions we’d taken, someone would find our college and try to spy on us. I’d just wanted to live and feel alive, and my mistake had almost cost Stella and me our lives.

Claudia? Stella asked.

What? I lifted my head and met her gaze.

There’s a cute guy working at my school. He’s a teacher, and he’s really nice. Kids adore him. I could invite him to my party.

I tilted my head at her. And how’s that supposed to work out?

Usually, she tried to set me up with guards and other members of the mafia. Never anyone who wasn’t part of our world.

Sure, Stella had built a couple of schools for less fortunate children so that everyone would get the best education and have a shot at a great future, and no one had figured out she was the daughter of a mafia boss.

But her husband was a mafia boss too, not some clueless guy she’d met in a school hallway.

Look, Dante and Dad are making sure this city is as safe as it can be. We have some enemies, sure, but we can keep them at bay. You can have the life you’ve always wanted. Your boyfriend doesn’t have to know anything about the mafia. You can say what everyone believes—that we’re a family of billionaires and successful businesspeople. We can find you a house in the safest neighborhood, and—

No. I don’t think that’s a good idea. I mean, with my luck, the nice guy is going to turn out to be a serial killer or something.

My mom laughed. Nonsense, honey.

It was just one guy, Stella said. And you were eighteen, and circumstances were different. It’s been over five years. You’re smarter now. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life hiding from everyone just because of him?

Yes. Yes, I did.

It was much safer that way.

Better than making another huge mistake and getting people killed.

Forget about that, I said. Show me some more photos of Gianni and Sofia.

Stella had given birth to twins less than a year ago. My niece and nephew were absolutely adorable, and I’d rather talk about them than about any guy.

Chapter 2

matteo

THE SKY WAS GETTING dark, which was exactly what I needed. I glanced down at my phone.

She was on her way home.

Claudia.

I clenched my jaw. She was the last person on my list.

The girl who’d started everything.

She’d only been eighteen. So sweet and innocent. Like a rare flower that had just bloomed and that no one was supposed to touch.

I didn’t want to remember the day I’d met her, or the day that I’d made the biggest mistake of my life.

But my mind didn’t care what I wanted. It wanted to play out the memory in my head like a fucking movie.

And I let it.

After my boss had sent me to Spain to try