Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 44

Chapter 44

I reached for him, trying to pull him on top of me.

But he stopped himself. He braced his hands on either side of my head, keeping his weight off me, his face just inches from mine. His voice was raw when he whispered,

“Ariella, I—”

But I wasn’t listening.

I didn’t want to hear whatever excuse he was about to give. I didn’t care.

So I pulled him harder toward me and kissed him, desperate, trying to burn away all the space he kept putting

between us.

He didn’t open up for me at first, but I kissed him harder, more insistently, until he groaned-low and deep- and finally gave in. His mouth moved against mine, and just like that, we were in sync again. It gave me strength. Hope. Maybe we were finally heading in the right direction.

My fingers slipped into his hair, then down to his shoulders, massaging gently as the kiss deepened. Pulling him closer towards me.

And then-a knock on the door. We both froze.

My mom’s voice followed almost immediately from behind the door.

“Ariella?”

That’s when Asher pulled away like I’d burned him, practically leaping back toward the door. I lay there, stunned for a second… and then, out of nowhere, I started laughing. Not a small chuckle. A full-blown, ridiculous giggle fit.

The door creaked open slowly, hesitantly, as if my mom was afraid of what scene she’d walk in on.

She peeked inside, eyes scanning the room. Her gaze landed on me first-alone on the bed, hair a mess, face flushed, laughing like a maniac. Then her eyes darted around the room, searching, my bet being on Asher.

She wasn’t expecting to see Asher standing right there by the door.

She let out a little squeal in surprise, hand flying to her chest. “Oh! Asher-”

“I’m so sorry,” Asher said quickly. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“It’s not your fault, it has nothing to do with you. I should be the one apologizing.’

Asher, ever polite, straightened up. “It’s okay, ma’am.”

But my mother was clearly flustered. Her voice trembled slightly as she said, “No, really, I just… I didn’t know you were standing right there.”

She wouldn’t look him in the eyes. Instead, her gaze flicked back to me, narrowing. I was sitting on the bed now, watching the whole interaction like it was the most entertaining thing in the world. Her eyes were questioning, suspicious-but I couldn’t stop giggling.

Chapter 44

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“What’s going on?” my mom asked, breaking through the awkward tension in the room.

“Nothing,” I said quickly, trying to tamp down the laughter still bubbling up inside me.

She glanced at Asher-though noticeably avoided his eyes-and said,

“It’s not proper for the two of you to be alone in a bedroom. If you need to talk, you should do it downstairs.”

Her eyes flicked toward me with quiet disapproval, like I was a child caught doing something wrong. Which was ironic, considering she was the one who let Asher into my room in the first place. But now, suddenly, she seemed to care about appearances and boundaries.

Asher, of course, responded with politeness.

“I’m sorry, ma’am. It won’t happen again,” he said, straightening up like a soldier. “I was just worried about her. I thought something might’ve been wrong… but now I realize she’s okay. She’s just… testing my patience.”

My mom’s gaze snapped back to me with the guilt of the truth, we both knew what he didn’t. Asher had no clue about the real storm going on underneath the surface.

Asher added, “Since I’ve seen you’re fine, I’ll go now.”

My mom nodded slowly. “Alright. I was just about to prepare lunch. Would you like to stay?”

But he shook his head. “No, thank you. I appreciate the offer.”

He moved to pass, and my mom stepped aside, widening the door for him. Asher slipped out. The two of us remained silent until we heard the front door open and close downstairs.

That’s when she came fully into the room, shutting the door behind her.

She stood there, arms crossed, eyes sharp, and asked the question I knew was coming:

“You didn’t break up with him yet?”

I stayed quiet for a moment, letting her question hang in the air. I wanted her to reveal more, and just as I expected, she snapped.

“You can’t do this, Ariella.”

“Do what exactly?” I asked, my voice flat.

“You have to break up with him.”

“I will,” I said, standing my ground. “But I can’t just end things like that. I need to do it slowly. I’m trying to create distance between us.”

She scoffed, her tone sharp. “Distance? He was just in your bedroom, Ariella. That doesn’t look like distance to me-it looks like you’re getting closer.”

“I know what I’m doing,” I replied calmly, though something must’ve shifted in my expression because her eyes narrowed.

“Ariella,” she said carefully, “whatever it is you’re thinking, remember that your father’s life-and mine-are

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