Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 73663 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73663 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
I feel seen with Renzo too, but never, ever judged.
He pulls me down into his lap as I kiss his jaw. “You don’t have to thank me for helping your family out.”
“But I do.” He brushes his knuckles across my cheek and looks almost reverent. “Do you have any idea how much weight’s off my shoulders right now? Carlo’s relationship with my mother has been a constant, nagging pressure.”
“That’s what I want to do for you.” I kiss his lips softly. “I want to make you feel better. I want to take some of the pressure.”
“You can only do so much.”
“Then let me do what I can.”
He nods slowly and shifts me so I’m straddling him. My bare middle’s against his expensive suit pants, but he doesn’t seem to mind. Heat fills my core as his hand grips my hair.
“I got so lucky,” he whispers, shaking his head. “I didn’t know you were right there hiding in my office this whole time.”
“And I didn’t know you weren’t the monster I always thought you were.”
“I’m not?”
“Well. A little bit. But I like it.”
“Good.” He kisses me, an exploring kiss. The kind of kiss that leads somewhere.
My favorite kind.
“I love you,” he whispers, his forehead pressed against mine.
“I love you, too.” The words come out so effortlessly. That one phrase can be so difficult—but so easy when it’s true.
He kisses me again, and this time, he doesn’t stop. I ride him right there on the chair, back arching, sweat rolling down my back until I come in a heap. He finishes between my legs, and he holds me when we’re through. I’m buzzing, my head spinning, and I can’t believe how lucky I’ve gotten. I breathe his smell and want to live in this little place forever. I want to stay here in his lap, sticky with him, content in a way I’ve never been before.
“We should shower,” he says with a sigh.
“I just got out of one.”
“True. But I wasn’t there with you last time.” He shifts and I laugh as he lifts me up and carries me into the bathroom.
Chapter 38
Renzo
The council meets at the same neutral third-party location as the last time. However, the conference room is even emptier.
Jasha Aslanov and Finnian Lynch are both missing.
“This is a fucking mess,” Rocco Rinaldo says, glaring around him. “That fucking Russian prick and his little psycho Irish pal are going to ruin everything with this bullshit.”
Orsino Milano rumbles his agreement. “We’ve had it easy. Cops are bribed. Unions take their cut. Everyone was happy.”
“Except for them,” I say leaning back to study my fellow Dons.
Rocco scowls. “When your father was alive—”
I cut him off before he can finish that sentence. “I don’t give a fuck what my father did. You all had it easy. It made you soft. The Aslanov Bratva and the Lynch Organization grew fat and happy under my father’s watch, but they also grew ambitious. Now here they are, stronger than they’ve ever been, allying against us. This happened under my father’s watch.”
“Careful,” Rocco says, face hard. “It wasn’t only your old man.”
Orsino cuts in. “This is a worthless disagreement. It doesn’t matter what happened in the past. Only what happens now.”
“I agree with Don Milano,” I say, looking at the big man. He nods back at me. “At the moment, Jasha and Finnian are taking shots at my family, but that won’t last forever. They’re not going to be happy with only hurting the Rossi Famiglia’s standing. They will go after you both sooner or later. This is our best chance at stomping them out before that happens.”
Orsino stares at me, his hands folded in front of him. His lips are pressed together in thought. “I don’t like the idea of getting into a war,” he admits. “My family won’t be happy.”
“Nobody’s happy with war,” I tell him. “But that doesn’t mean you turn your back on it.” I look over at Rocco. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking we’re in a shit situation. But you aren’t wrong.” He leans back in his chair. “I found my daughter. She’s safe, but I’m not bringing her back to the States just yet, not until we hammer out an agreement. Did you talk to your brother?”
“We’re in the process of coming to terms.”
“Good.” Rocco gestures at Orsino. “My cousin is already married to his sister. Once my daughter is married to your brother, our families will be intertwined. It only makes sense to make our alliance official.”
“War against the Russians and the Irish.” Orsino doesn’t sound happy. “It’ll get ugly. Jasha’s a cold killer. Finnian’s a psycho.”
“It’s already ugly, or have you forgotten about their attempt on my brother’s life?” I glare at Orsino. “Or maybe their attempted kidnapping of my wife?”
“Nobody has forgotten.”
“Good.” I take a breath to steady myself. “We’ll make it formal then. A solemn oath sworn here in this room among equals with our lieutenants as witnesses.” I glance over to where Dante’s standing. He’s mingled in with men from Orsino’s Famiglia and with men from Rocco’s.