“I don’t know,” I say honestly. “You’re busy. I’m busy. There’s not much time to plan a future when we’re both dedicated to our work.”
He studies my face, and I can feel the heat of his gaze. “What’s more important to you, work or family?”
“Family, of course.”
That’s a no-brainer. Family always trumps business. It’s the main reason we shut down the bar for half the day every Sunday. We decided that we didn’t want any interruptions during our family dinner, and there always seemed to be a crisis at the bar that needed our attention.
Leo leans back and undoes the top button on his dress shirt, exposing just enough skin to draw my attention back to him. “Do you want a family of your own someday?”
“Someday,” I say in a deeper tone, unable to hide what the sight of him does to me. “But not yet.”
His fingers work at more buttons on his shirt. “So, if we were just Leo and Daphne, not Conti and Gallo, we’d have a shot?”
He knows what he’s doing to me. The smirk on his face tells me as much. It’s only fair since I toyed with him near the elevators first.
“Maybe,” I sigh and look away. “Who knows. I don’t spend much time thinking about what could be when reality seems to smack me in the face every day, constantly reminding me I’m a Gallo.”
“My father questioned me today,” he confesses.
“About us?” I swallow the lump that’s now lodged in my throat.
“No, but he heard I was in the old neighborhood.” Leo rubs his hand across his face, trying to cover the frown I know is there. “He warned me to stay away. He said your father was a dangerous man.”
I laugh at the stupidity of the entire situation. “See? We would never work.”
“Maybe,” he admits as his gaze drops to his wineglass. “But I’ve never been one to let my father dictate my life.”
“Me either.” But that doesn’t mean I don’t heed my father’s warning every once in a while.
Leo leans forward and pushes his glass to the side. “I’m not ready to give up on whatever this is, Daphne.” He slides his hand across the tabletop and places his palm on my arm, reminding me of the sparks I feel every time we touch. “Life’s too short to deprive ourselves of finding out.”
I stare across the table, wanting to say yes, but something stops me. I could easily fall in love with Leo—hell, I was in full-blown lust already. “I need time to think,” I say, hoping it’s enough to satisfy him.
“Stay the night.”
“I can’t.” My heart wants to stay, but I know nothing good will come from another night with Leo. I’ll fall a little harder and a little deeper, making my ability to resist him even weaker.
“Another time, then.”
I shake my head, because there won’t be another time. There can’t be. “You’re persistent.”
His stare intensifies. “Only when I know what I want.”
I pretend to ignore his statement even though my stomach flutters and my heart practically skips a beat. “I think I should go.” I need to get away from him before we fall into bed and I never want to go back to reality.
“I’ll take you back to the bar.”
“No,” I say quickly. “I’ll grab a cab.”
“It’s late, and the bar is far, Daphne. Don’t be silly.”
My phone rings in my purse, and I scramble to answer it, without looking at the caller ID. It’s well after midnight, and there’s never good news at this hour. “Hello,” I say, watching Leo across the table.
“Where the fuck are you?” Michelle asks. “Your Jeep is here, but you’re not. Angelo is going to stroke out when he notices.”
“Tell him I’ll be back in thirty minutes. I had to help a friend or something.”
“Are you with him?”
