My breathing slows, and time almost seems to stop as he hovers just out of reach. His brown eyes darken, and the way he stares at me leaves me nothing short of needy.
“Not here,” he whispers before backing away.
My hand falls from his chest, and I’m left gasping for air, trying to recover from the nearness of him.
I’ve never felt this way with anyone.
No one except Leo Conti.
I think back to the moment I met him up until now. I haven’t stopped craving his touch, his kiss, his everything.
His hand is on the small of my back as we walk on to the plane. He greets the pilot, introducing me, but leaving my last name out of the entire brief conversation.
There’s just the three of us for the short flight. A bottle of chilled champagne is waiting near the leather sofa that runs down one side of the plane.
Leo motions for me to sit before he pours two glasses. “Buckle up,” he says with a smirk as the plane starts to taxi down the runway. “It may be a bumpy ride.”
No truer words have ever been spoken. There’s nothing smooth about the storm that’s brewing inside me and the hurricane barreling our way if I don’t put an end to whatever this is before we touch down again in Chicago.
The takeoff isn’t as smooth as I’d hoped or am used to in a commercial airplane. I’ve never been fond of flying, and being in a small private plane doesn’t alleviate the anxiety that has settled deep in my core.
After I quickly polish off the first glass of champagne, I pour myself another and pray it will be enough to calm me down.
Leo places his hand on my knee, which hasn’t stopped shaking since the moment the plane lifted off the ground. “Are you okay?”
I smile nervously and wave the champagne flute between us, almost spilling the contents in his lap. “I’m great. Fine. Never been better,” I blurt out, making it quite obvious I’m a hot mess.
He squeezes my knee. I take a deep breath, trying to focus on my breathing along with his deep, penetrating gaze instead of the fact that we’re high in the air.
He turns on the couch next to me, bringing his knee against mine, connecting our bodies once again. “You asked why I was at the wedding.” He pauses as he sets his champagne flute on the table at his side. “For weeks, I’d heard rumors your father was being released from prison. When I saw the last name for the wedding party in the grand ballroom, I thought I’d stop in and see if he was there.”
My entire body rocks backward. “You were stalking us?”
“No, no. It’s not like that.”
I raise an eyebrow and cross my arms, carefully holding the champagne flute in front of me. “It sounds exactly like that.”
“I’m like you, Daphne. I have nothing to do with my father’s business, but somehow, his world bleeds into mine. Especially when one of his enemies is after him. We both know the bloody histories of our fathers’ business endeavors.”
I nod, but I’m not quite sure I have a firm grasp on it like Leo does.
“I needed to see with my own eyes if Santino Gallo was really out, walking the streets again.”
“You think my father would order a hit on yours?”
“I have no doubt my father would order one on your father if he deemed it necessary. Why would your father be any different? Hell, they’d probably kill us and not even blink.”
I open my mouth to speak and close it again. I’m in complete and utter shock. None of us is involved in my father’s hustle. Not in any way are we even remotely tied to his business dealings besides the simple fact that we were born.
“That’s ridiculous,” I tell him.
Leo moves even closer. “I needed to know if your father was released and if I had to increase the security around my sisters and myself. We’re not part of their world, but it’s very easy for us to become casualties.”
I think back to the wedding, the moment I tripped, and how Leo caught me. “You swear you didn’t know who I was when I left the ballroom with you?”
He holds his hands up. “I didn’t know at first. I never went to the wedding with the intention of sleeping with Santino’s daughter. After you fell into my arms, I wanted to talk to you.”
“When you asked me to go somewhere quiet, you were going to fuck me, weren’t you?” I’m straightforward with my questioning.
