Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 96129 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96129 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
He didn’t have to say anything. The warning was clear. My mind raced and landed on my father. I needed to speak to him again. I needed to make sure he was okay, but he hadn’t called and that didn’t sit well. At the sound of footsteps behind me, I turned, on edge, to find Marco rushing toward me. He looked at me, looked at Anthony, who was turning the corner, and finally decided to keep his focus on me.
“Are you okay?” He moved the shopping cart and touched my arm. I was shocked to find genuine concern in his eyes and wondered if it was concern for me or for himself, if he had to deal with Dominic’s wrath on behalf of this. It was why I nodded despite the pain.
“I’m fine. Just an accident,” I said, reaching for a random bottle of Italian wine. All that concentration, and it came down to desperation.
“You’re sure?” He hadn’t let go of my arm, hadn’t looked away from my face, though I couldn’t quite meet his eyes. I did then.
“I’m positive.” I smiled. “I just need to grab a bottle of tequila as backup and then we can go.”
My knee hadn’t quit bouncing. Instead of going in an SUV like I expected us to, Dominic had them follow us as he drove his regular car. Well, his expensive as fuck “regular car.” Even the leather smelled expensive. I closed my eyes and inhaled it for the third time. Dominic chuckled, reaching for my hand and linking his fingers through mine. It was a simple gesture, but it made my heart gallop uncontrollably nonetheless.
“I take it you like the car.” His eyes twinkled as he glanced at me.
“I love the car.” I smiled. “The leather smells so nice, like an expensive purse. Definitely not like the inside of those stores on Mott Street.”
He laughed harder. “I can assure you I didn’t buy it in Chinatown, baby.” I didn’t know why, but every time he called me this I felt myself blush. He took notice but hadn’t said anything. From the way his lips twisted in amusement now, I knew he would. “You like it when I call you that, don’t you?”
“Maybe.” I bit my lip and looked away as he stopped at a red light.
“Tell me.” He leaned in, invading my space, and suddenly I was filled with the scent of him and the leather, and it smelled like what I imagined heaven would, if there was such a place. He kissed my neck, the side of my face, and bit my earlobe. “Baby,” he whispered huskily. My stomach flipped. “Tiny dancer,” he said, licking the shell of my ear. “Mine.” My heart beat faster and faster. I turned my face toward him, and he captured my lips in a dizzying kiss.
The car behind us honked the horn three consecutive times. Dominic pulled away, searching my eyes as if he had all the time in the world. The car drove around us, a man flashing us his middle finger. I laughed against Dominic’s mouth.
“I think you need to move, baby,” I said, emphasizing the word.
His eyes flared as he sat back in his seat. “Next time I fuck you, I want you to call me that when you come.”
“Okay,” I whispered, my heart skipping another beat.
Someone else honked. This time, it was Marco. Dominic started driving and lowered his window to stick his middle finger out. In the rearview, I caught both Marco and Nico laughing.
“Are they having dinner with us?” I asked. “Marco and Nico, I mean.”
“Of course.” He shot me a look as he got on the highway. “They’re family.”
“So it’s safe to assume this family is an organized crime family.”
“I don’t assume anything, but if you want to assume that, go ahead.” He grabbed my hand again, kissing the back of it. It would probably be the closest thing I got to a confirmation. “They’re the only family I know. The only family I have.”
I let his words hang for a moment. I knew he would have said more if I’d pushed, but I didn’t want to. After a moment, I went back to the topic I wanted to discuss and had yet to bring up again.
“So you’ve wanted me for ten years.”
“I knew you wouldn’t drop that.”
“Of course not. One minute we were friends, then we were flirting, and the next you were a total asshole to me and now you’re saying you liked me?” I tried taking my hand from his, but he gripped it a little tighter, not letting go.
“I was only an asshole because I was pissed,” he said. “And because I thought if I was an asshole, my brother would stop seeing you.”
“Really?” I shot him a look. “That sounds incredibly dumb.”
He shrugged. “I was seventeen.”