“I’m sorry. That was really insensitive of me. And I don’t even like these types of parties. I don’t know why I went all crazy just now.”
My hands grip her waist and pull her closer. “That’s because you want tonight to go perfectly. Because this night is just as important to you as it is to me. Because this isournight. We worked for it.”
“No, you did,” she murmurs, nuzzling into me, her hand finding its way to my chest, stopping once pressed over my heart. “You did the heavy lifting. This is your doing, not mine.”
“No,” I say, lifting her chin with my fingers. “This night belongs to both of us. I might have gotten my name on the title of this boat and gotten accepted by the gambling committee, but the changes, the vision, the care you put into making this place better than it ever was… that was all you. Not me.”
Her green eyes soften, melt even, and my chest tightens at all the words I still ache to hear fall from her lips. The same words I haven’t told her yet for fear it might scare her away.
“Don’t look at me like that,dusha moya. That kind of look guarantees you’ll end up bent over a railing getting good and properly fucked.”
“You really are a romantic, you know that?” She laughs.
“Only for you, Stella. Only ever for you,” I say, completely serious. Her teasing smile twists into something much darker, much hungrier.
“I… um… I should supervise the rest,” she says, snatching up the clipboard from the floor before she does something reckless, like give in to her desires.
I nod and pretend to let her go about her business, even though we both know tonight will end in only two ways. Either I bend Stella over a railing and take her roughly from behind after the party…or I make love to her nice and sweet in our bed back at the lake house.
I’ll probably do both.
Yep. Definitely both.
Either way, my woman will end her night thoroughly satisfied.
Five hours later, the party is in full swing. Kostya and I stay tucked in a quiet corner of the deck, just two black suits in a seaof tuxedos and gowns. I sip my vodka while never taking my eyes off Stella as she mingles with the guests, making sure this party, and our casino, becomes the talk of the city for months.
She’s wearing a drop-dead earthy-green-colored dress, looking like temptation sculpted into human form, and it’s been pure hell watching every man in the room salivate over her.
“She’s really good at this,” Kostya says beside me, awe coloring his voice.
“She hates this kind of shit,” I growl when one asshole’s eyes linger on her ass a little too long.
“Doesn’t look like it from where I’m standing.”
“That’s because you don’t know her like I do. The only reason she’s putting in this much effort is because she knows how important this casino is to both our families.”
“You mean how important it is toyou.” He wiggles his brows.
“To us,” I correct, taking another slow sip.
Even after all the millions I spent on bribes, licenses, and charitable donations just to get my name on the title, this riverboat has already paid its weight in gold. Because of it, I was able to prove to Stella that we can be together if we want to be. No moreBratvaprince and Outfit princess bullshit. Anyone with a pair of eyes can see we work well together. That we make sense.
But tonight might be make or break, because there’s only one person whose approval actually matters. And that’s Vincent Romano. Stella’s father.
“Here he comes,” Kostya murmurs, as if he heard the thought leave my head.
My eyes follow his line of sight and land on Vincent with Selene on his arm, hisconsigliereand enforcer trailing right behind them. But it’s my niece and her boyfriend, followed by a wide-eyed Annamaria, that make me smile.
“Uncle Kill!” Kira shouts, running straight toward me. I throw my arms around her and lift her into a hug.
“What are you doing here? You know no one under twenty-one is allowed on board. It’s illegal in the state of Illinois.” I wink. Like I give a shit about what’s illegal or not.
“I know, but Lucky’s dad said we could come just to have a quick look. Marcello will drive us back home after.”
“And where is Marcello?” I ask, scanning the perimeter, praying the idiot didn’t bring his FBI friend anywhere near my casino.
“He stayed in the car,” Lucky answers for Kira, sliding his hands around her waist and pulling her back to his side.
