These evil men didn't just take me away from my home.
They destroyed any kind of hope of finding true love.
Rosa
She was dead.
So freaking dead.
Screaming in annoyance, I threw the phone on the bed since Frankie refused to pick up. I paced back and forth in the room, considering my options. Unfortunately, none came to mind in my panicked state. My closet included only a couple of dresses, because jeans and shirts were more comfortable during my stay with Luke and in North Carolina. And I didn't have time to have a proper shopping day to fill in the gaps in my closet.
The dress Frankie found for me was completely unacceptable, and I had no one but myself to blame for not looking at it all day. In my defense, last night, I came home exhausted and slept ten hours straight. Then I rushed to the university for two classes, where that redheaded guy kept begging to be my friend, so we hung out together for an hour. Then I quickly came back home, and since the clock showed five o’clock, I had only two hours to get ready.
I stood in front of the mirror. The strapless white dress wrapped tightly around my body, putting on full display my round, full breasts, which looked even bigger with my waist accentuated, and my firm ass. I decided to wear the emerald earrings he gave me, and I picked five-inch stiletto sandals and a clutch in green to match.
Since my hair tended to get in my freaking face all the time, I spent an hour on a waterfall hairstyle with my straight hair cascading down my back while the top was made into a braid on the side. It kind of gave my cat-shaped hazel eyes a vivid look. The weather was too hot for any kind of makeup, so I just applied gloss on my lips to emphasize their fullness.
Overall, I looked pretty damn hot.
Which brought me back to the fact that this dress made me seem desperate for attention. I preferred to have more subtle hints about sexuality than putting it all out there. And it ended right above my knees, so it left a lot of skin to admire.
Hearing the doorbell ring just as the huge clock in the living room chimed seven o’clock, my nerves got the better of me. He even came on time! Was there anything this guy did in half measures?
Exhaling a calming breath, I glanced at myself one more time before I left the room and slowly walked down the stairs. Considering the heels I wore, the last thing I needed was to end up face-planted on the floor.
My eyes once again admired the beauty of my father’s house. My shoes clicked on the golden marble floor, which shone from the huge, Swarovski chandelier lighting up the whole hallway. The house had countless rooms, even I had no clue how many, but everything was decorated in white and gold along with crystals.
Expensive dark brown oak furniture and lots of vases filled with roses were scattered around the house. The smell of the flowers penetrated every nook and cranny. Framed photos of my mom in different stages of her life hung on the living room walls as well as the dining room’s, where the wide table with place settings of expensive handmade porcelain china was surrounded by twenty-four chairs.
To sum it up, Dad freaking loved luxury, and it screamed from every corner of the house. Maybe I’d have considered it tacky had my mom not designed it. So being here, in this atmosphere, was somehow being connected to her, even if she was no longer with us.
Lucretia, our housekeeper of twenty years, winked at me, straightened her black apron over her black wool dress, and opened the door.
Holy mother of God.
Why did he have to be so handsome?
He stood in the doorway, leaning against the jamb with his legs crossed while his free hand was inside a pocket. His black suit hugged his body perfectly, giving off elegance and power, but at the same time, a tightly made bun in the back of his head added wildness to the look. Several tattoos peeked out of the collar of his white shirt without a tie. The cross rested between the open ends, and my stomach fluttered as I remembered how he had put it on me while we shared our first kiss.
Our eyes locked for a moment in an embrace where the outside world didn't exist. His amber ones were lit with possessiveness as he scanned my body and clenched the rose in his hand tighter, while mine probably reflected the deep desire humming inside me.
My skin buzzed with the need to run to him, so I’d feel the protection in his arms once again, and I barely restrained myself from doing so.
Dating.
That was what we were doing. God, how did people deal with all this sexual frustration going on? When family obligations and mafia houses didn't breathe down their neck?
“Oh my,” Lucretia muttered, clearly appreciating his handsomeness despite her being married for thirty years and having five grandkids to raise. “Rosa, your guest is here for you.” She turned around, and left us standing there alone.
“You look gorgeous,” he said, his voice gruff. He extended the flower to me. “A rose for a rose.” Okay, not cringing at such a corny line was impossible, and he noticed it. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s kind of a lame pickup line.”
Frowning, he rubbed his chin. “It is?”
Confused, I nodded. “Well, yeah.” Or at least I thought so, based on all those books and magazines I’d read. Romance heroes usually had to be an exception to the rule, who knew all the perfect words.
“I wouldn't know. I’ve never been on a date before.” His voice changed to pissed off, as though the idea of me being on one and knowing stuff irritated him. I opened my mouth to reassure him, when the information he supplied stopped me in my tracks.
