Simone finally gets the message I’ve been sending her for the past several minutes and leaves. But not without running her gaze over Carina’s appearance in blatant assessment. Looking down her nose at Carina, the blonde briskly exits my penthouse, leaving a trail of cloying perfume in her wake.
“Come inside,” I say, motioning to the living room. “Make yourself comfortable.”
Carina pauses. It’s slight but unmistakable.
This is understandable. She doesn’t know me, at least not much beyond my reputation and our single interaction over two years ago. Yet, her hesitation surprises me since Carina is the one who contacted me. If she’s having second thoughts, that’s a sign.
Of what, I’m not sure.
She gives me a tight nod and walks past me with her gaze level and her chin lifted. The scent of her, gardenia softened by a vanilla or something close to that, wafts under my nose. Instead of being sickly sweet or overpowering, the pleasant smell has me inhaling deep.
As enticing as when we met.
I rake my gaze over her sapphire dress and the brown coat that clearly belongs to a man. Her tawny hair that swishes back and forth with her confident steps. Whatever trepidation she felt earlier is gone.
Or she hides it well.
And who’s fucking jacket is she wearing?
With my brows drawn, I turn and shut the door, making so that it’s securely locked before facing her. Her clothing, although still flattering on her, isn’t the quality I’d expect from someone of her status as the daughter of a crime boss. And her appearance? Yes, Carina obviously takes care to be presentable, but it lacks the over-the-top perfectionism I’m used to seeing from women like her. Normally, there wouldn’t be a hair out of place, a smudge of mascara under her eyes, or her pretty mouth naked without some dab of color.
Carina is disheveled. No less of a beauty, but something is fucking wrong.
“Have a seat,” I say, gesturing to the couch.
She settles herself on the chair, right next to the place I suggested.
A power move?
I walk over to the side bar and remove one of the crystal decanters from the stained-glass covered cabinets, as well as another tumbler. From my periphery , I catch Carina open her mouth to refuse the drink as I pour it, but she ends up pressing her lips together.
I hand it to her and she takes it, careful to avoid contact with me. “Thank you,” she says. Carina sets the beverage in her lap with her fingers laced and her gaze honed on me. She waits until I sit across from her on the couch to speak. “I also want to thank you for agreeing to see me,signore. I wouldn’t have interrupted you if I’d known about your…”
Her voice trails off and this should be the point I pick up where she left off, but I let her mentally flounder instead. The last time I saw this woman, she was openly defying her father right in the middle of the annual gala, made mandatory by the Wolf Pack; The council of the crime syndicate in which her father has a prominent seat. He is not someone to fuck with.
But then again, neither am I.
Carina was eighteen then and even as a new adult, she was formidable. I want to see if the last two years have strengthened her or if she’s finally submitted to the will of someone. The owner of the coat, perhaps?
After a quick glance at her naked ring finger, I confirm it won’t be that of a husband. This should’ve been the first thing I checked upon her entering my home. No man approves of their wife visiting another man in the middle of the night at his residence. And one who’s a made man? Well, that’s just asking for people to get fucking killed. I like living my life too much to get offed by a jealous husband or fiancé.
Not even for a chance to get between Carina’s supple thighs.
Although, she is lovely enough for me to forget myself. That is a problem in and of itself. Maybe I need to test my resistance against her, as opposed to sussing out her resilience.
Carina daintily clears her throat and the hint of a blush taints her cheeks. “I didn’t know you were preoccupied, is what I meant to say.”
With my glass now full, I take a sip and nod. Again, I wait for her to lead the conversation, instead of asking her to appease my growing curiosity. She came here for a reason and I won’t coax it from her. Unless she changes her mind. Then I might have to force it from her. That idea has my mouth tilting on one side.
And my cock hardening.
I swear to fuck that part of my body is the most impudent. But also, the most on point. It wants what it wants and when I look at Nardone’s daughter, I can’t act as if I don’t understand why.
I like to own and fuck beautiful things.
“My company is gone,” I say, “so you needn’t be concerned with that.”
Carina drops her gaze and stares at her lap, her index finger rapidly tapping the glass. While she gathers herself, I take in the delicate contours of her face, running my gaze along her arched brows, high cheekbones, and full lips. That damn coat conceals her figure, but her shapely legs, firmly pressed together, are visible since her dress stops at the knees.
