Ishould have left her in her room under lock and key but after dealing with the soldier who dared lay hands on her and being informed of the war that will eventually start, the thought of having her out of my sight and anywhere my father or his loyals can reach her is out of the question.No, like it or not, she is going to stay by my side for a while.
The minute we’ve finished breakfast at the large dining table downstairs the doorbell rings.Elsie places the platter she was going to carry back to the kitchen down on the sideboard.“I’ll get the door,” she says.
Sophia stands and picks up the tray, and without a word carries it into the kitchen before returning with two stainless steel to go mugs of coffee.“Freshly brewed.Elsie’s so sweet.She had them on the counter for us.”
I grin as I take mine from her hand, brushing fingers with her and causing her to blush.I never cease to be surprised by the woman whose light seems to follow her even when she’s trying to be ruthless and dark, and a match for me.Elsie returns and gives me a set of wide eyes noticing Sophia’s blush.“Trouble,” she mouths.
My younger brother strides in wearing his signature black suit, tossing his briefcase on the credenza as though he lives here.“How’d the deal go with Delray?”I ask.
Leandro’s eyes skirt over Sophia, simply out of curiosity but still, he should be fucking looking at me.
I pin him with a heated stare.If the womanizer has one self-preserving bone in his body, he should keep his eyes off Sophia.He nonchalantly turns and gives me a grin.“Meeting went well.The deals are closed, and everything is a go.”
“Good news.”The fucker doesn’t pay me any mind, not that he ever does when he’s screwing around.I’ll let it slide though because no matter what life throws our way, he’s got my back and is always by my side, no matter his charismatic whims for the other sex.His gaze pins Sophia again.“This must be the lovely Sophia that I’ve heard so much about in the past couple of days.”
Sophia’s eyes stay on mine.The little pulse on the side of her neck beats rapidly, belying the confidence she outwardly shows.Yet she doesn’t back down and doesn’t let the fear get the best of her.Instead, she steps forward and extends a hand to the rival even while being taken off guard.“I’m Sophia Cassone.I’m sorry we have to meet under such awkward conditions, but nice to meet you regardless.”
Leandro’s eyebrows arch and he gives her a nod.“I heard from our father that you were staying with my brother.It looks like he’s taking care of you well, although I heard about the incident the other day.Big brother took care of that though.I don’t think that asshole will be pulling that stunt again anytime soon.”
Her eyes widen but then immediately a haze of undetermined emotion shifts over her features.A veil, a trick she’s no doubt learned just like the ones we teach our own women.No matter the emotion, do not let the enemy know how you are feeling, they will just use it against you, no matter what you think.Someone has taught Sophia well, and she is clearly an adept student.I turn to my brother.“If you didn’t hear, Sophia actually took care of things herself too.He left her room with a shattered nose for his trouble.”
“Don’t forget the groin,” Sophia says, hiding her smile behind the big-ass steel mug of coffee she swiped from the kitchen.“He’s not going to be screwing anyone with that tool for a very long time.”
Sophia has no clue how long he will be out of commission, or what else happened at my hands, and I intend to keep it that way.I throw a warning glance at Leandro, who doesn’t need any more than that to keep a lid on what he was intending to say.
“It looks like I caught you on the way out, so I’ll be quick and let you get on with your day.Can you catch a couple signatures before you take off?I needed Delray’s part done or I would have had you do it at the club last night,” he says, shuffling some papers as he digs into his briefcase.
Sophia’s head swivels, and my observant-as-fuck little brother does not miss the change in her features or disdain in her eyes.His eyes light with amusement and he tries to keep a smirk in check.
Fucker.
Her eyes are not veiled at all now.I feel everything she’s feeling and the fucking heat from here.My little kitten has claws.She doesn’t ask me the question that’s rattling around in her head, but I plan to drag it out of her later because no matter the reason the fact that she doesn’t like the thought of me at the club with a bunch of women is surprisingly satisfying to me in every way.
I hold out my hand for the documents, glaring at my brother, impatient while he rifles through them and puts them in order.My eyes scan over the documents, the same ones I’ve signed for leased space and alcohol purchases a thousand times, all over the city.Cut and dried, and bound to add more than six k a month to the family coffers for just that little bar alone.“I’ll call you later.”
Leandro’s eyebrows raise as he puts his papers together and snaps his briefcase shut.He pauses at the door and turns.“It was very nice to meet you, Sophia.Talk to you later, Massimo.Make sure you call me.I have things to tell you,” he says before walking out the door.
Sophia’s dark eyes turn to me.She’s not going to ask me why I was at the club after spending time with her, if I went there to get my rocks off after not taking care of my needs with her, or any of the other things I’d be wondering if the situation were reversed.Sophia wants me to think she’s playing it cool, but she’s not cool by a long shot.
Instead, she’s made up her own mind, grabs a bag filled with her stuff, and walks to the door.“Ready?”she asks absently, as though she couldn’t care less what I was up to last night, while I’m left with a nagging and extremely unfamiliar need to explain.
My jaw shifts with irritation as I head out to the car.“Get out,” I growl to Jimmy, who’s already seated in the driver seat of the luxury sedan.“I’ll drive today.”
His eyes go wide.“Come again, boss?”
“Drive with the others,” I tell him, gesturing to the men in the SUV waiting for us to pull out so they can follow us.
“Boss, you think that’s safe?”
Sophia starts to open the door on the back passenger side.“Sit in the front.”Her eyes connect with mine over the top of the car, hazed over, expressionless, that fucking veil down again, trying to conceal her emotions from me.I lean into Jimmy.“Leave your gun under the seat, get another, and drive with them.”
Jimmy exhales a breath.Better for his health if he doesn’t argue with me, especially today.He heads to the back of the car, pops the trunk, takes a gun, and tucks it into the waistband of his slacks before slamming the trunk.“All set, boss.We’ll be right behind you.Be careful.”
I slide into the luxury vehicle that I seldom drive anymore.That’s going to come to an end right the fuck now.I like to drive.I’m not hiding behind some driver with a gun just because my father has these fucking protocols in place.I’m going to be the boss soon, and while I respect the hell out of the empire he and the ancestors have made, there are some things that I plan to change.Namely, giving myself the leisure to put my foot to the floor, feeling the wheels of a car with this much power hug the road, while it propels us through the coastal highway of Jersey.
She makes a point of looking at the scenery and not talking to me.A few minutes later, I point to a large white yacht just offshore when we reach the outer banks.“That’s where we’re going.I thought you’d like a day on the water.”
Her head turns toward me, and I feel the heat of her gaze even while keeping my eyes on the road.“Lazing around on a boat sounds a lot better than sitting in that room all day, that’s for damn sure.”
