“Magic?” I did my best to keep my expression shocked rather than reveal the heart-warming joy on my face.
“Si!Fairies came to my room and made it magical! I have a forest, clouds, a fairy palace, Rainbow Dash, a chair with my name on it, and—”
“Breathe, Neri!”
I looked up to see Finn approaching from behind her. I drank in the sight of him in his tailored three-piece suit, which hugged his body perfectly. However, I still preferred him in his casual jeans and tank top from last night, especially the way his eyes darkened when I asked if he wanted me to go fuck other men, how his body felt beneath mine as I pressed him against the counter, and how he had me on my knees, begging for him. It took every ounce of restraint I could summon to walk out that door. But if I wanted him to understand how serious I was, how much I wanted him back, not just in my bed but in my life, I had to do things differently.
Our relationship had always been driven by sex. The connection we shared was unmatched. I knew his body better than my own. His pleasure, his desires; they burned beneath my skin. I’d given him my body first, then my heart, but I’d never truly given him all of me. Not in the way he deserved. This time would be different. I’d prove it.
I stood up as our eyes met, and my world tilted towards him. He looked away too quickly, refocusing on his daughter. “Stellina,Papihas to work now. Why don’t you go to the playroom and find the twins?”
“Okay.” She smiled but didn’t leave. She turned back to me. “Will you come and see my magic room one day, Enzo?”
My lips curved as I gazed into her large brown eyes, feeling the hard shell I’d spent years refining melt away in an instant. “I’d love to.”
“Today?” She jumped up and down, clapping her hands.
“Not today, Neri,” Finn interrupted, and she immediately stopped jumping and pouted. “But one day.”
My gaze shot up to find him already watching me. My heart tightened with hope. Did he truly mean it? Or was he just placating her?
“Okay,” she sulked. “Ciao,Enzo.” She waved, then hurried down the corridor. Her bodyguard nodded at Finn before following her.
“We’re upstairs,” Finn cut in before I could speak, turning his back to me and taking the stairs to Alessio’s office. I exhaled and followed him, not bothering to hide how I stared at his ass or how his back muscles shifted beneath his suit. I didn’t have to hide my desire for this man anymore. I’d let the world see it.
Finn spun around before we entered the office, his hand hovering on the doorknob as he lowered his voice. “Don’t provoke him.”
I frowned. “Provoke who?”
“Alessio. Don’t make this personal, Enzo. This is strictly business. You’ve always been unpredictable, but this… whatever you think you’re doing… it has to stop. Don’t flirt with me, mention us or the past, or even fucking look at me the way you are right now.”
I tried not to smirk. I failed. Leaning against the wall, I tilted my head playfully and let my want shine in my eyes.
“I can’t help the way I look at you, Finn. That’s the one thing I’ve never been able to hide or control. I’ll never stop looking at you as if you’re the best thing I ever lost and the one thing I’ll ever need,” I said softly, holding his gaze. His eyes flickered with anger, but it wavered at the edges, fighting something deeper.“Like some part of me is still sitting in that car, ten years ago, watching you walk away and knowing I’ll never be whole again.”
His breath caught, a sharp intake he tried to hide, but it was there. A crack in his armour. A small victory. I seized the moment, pushed off the wall, and took a step forward. His jaw tightened and his eyes blazed. Yet it was the rapid pulse in his throat and the tremor in his fingers that gave him away.
“I tried, Finn. I tried to get over you,” I said, my voice low and rough as the warmth of his skin and his masculine scent seeped through my restraint. “But all I have to do is take one look at you, and I remember why I never could. Please. Give me one more chance.”
He closed his eyes for a brief moment, and when he opened them again, I saw it—the same longing, the same ache that had haunted me for years. The world stopped spinning as I fell into his orbit, seeing all that mattered.
Neither of us moved. The tension in the air was heavy and electric, suffocating and liberating all at once. I could almost hear his heartbeat, defiant yet drumming against his chest, just like mine. My hand twitched at my side, craving to reach for him, to pull him to me and trace his lips with my tongue. To remind him how good it used to be between us, but he didn’t need reminding. He knew. It was there.
He swallowed hard as I leaned in, just enough for my breath to brush his stubbled jaw. He didn’t step back, and my heart raced.
“Enzo,” he warned, his voice unsteady.
I smiled faintly, closing my eyes at the sound of my name from his lips. “You still say it the same way.”
He shuddered once, as if I had run my fingertips down his spine. I opened my eyes and met his gaze. I was a breath away from kissing him. From everything I had ever wanted.
His white-knuckled fingers twisted the handle, and the moment shattered. Finn pushed open the door and walkedthrough, shoulders squared, his cold exterior firmly in place. I bowed my head to my chest before following him in, the bittersweet taste of that moment still lingering on my tongue.
Alessio’s office was vibrant and bright. Every wall was covered with Elenora’s paintings, as sunlight streamed through the cream curtains like a spotlight on her talent. It was unlike any mafia boss’s office I’d ever seen. While most kept their workspaces sparse, cold, and unwelcoming, Alessio’s was warm and inviting. Every shelf displayed photographs of his children and Elenora, of him, Finn, and Fabi. There was also a picture of hisZiaFlo, who had passed away two years ago. The twins’ drawings from various ages were scattered around the four walls between Elenora’s canvases. A LEGO boat stood proudly on his desk. Then it hit me: I was being welcomed into his small circle of the most loyal people to him. This was his personal office, not the room where he met other bosses or negotiated deals. It was the place he invited only his closest confidants. His real world. The one where he was a loving father, a devoted husband, and a loyal friend, far above his role as a formidable mafia boss.
“Don Aiani,” he greeted me respectfully and nodded towards a cream chair. “Take a seat.”
I sat down, glancing at Finn, who took the chair beside me and began pulling out papers from a file, spreading them across Alessio’s desk. It was impressive how easily he’d slipped back into the role he’d perfected. The calm, unreadable, and focused consigliere. You’d never have known that he’d been shuddering at the sound of my voice or shaking with restraint, trying not to kiss me just a few seconds earlier.
