“So now I would like to kiss you.”
“Yes,” I repeated, but this one was more of a choke than a croak.
He laughed, his breath grazing the skin of my forehead, the loose strands of my hair moving like a blade of grass might under the gentle breeze of a light wind.
“Dante,” I hesitated, not because I was having second thoughts, but because I was nervous. “I want you to kiss me, but I don’t know how . . . I haven’t . . .”
He grinned, resembling a wolf about to pounce, perhaps he was. “That makes me so happy, knowing that I am the first one to kiss you.”
I wanted him to tell me that he hadn’t kissed anyone either, but he didn’t. I knew that as part of the move from boy to man involved women, prostitutes, and it hurt me to know that while I had lay in my bed at night thinking of him, imagining his kiss and his touch, someone else had been getting all of that and more.
“And you will be the first to kiss me.”
My eyes were drying as I stared up at him, slightly disbelieving of what he was saying. Could it be a lie, some kind of line he was spinning me? I searched the deep pools of his eyes that bore into me and saw nothing but truth and sincerity. “But you have known women.”
“I have, but have never kissed one, until now, mia ragazza?”
His lips fused with mine, and in that moment I had found total happiness.
CHAPTERONE
DANTE
Iwatched on with genuine amusement as my two brothers were taken to task by their wives, Marco smirked as Jay told him off about something he’d forgotten to do, whereas my oldest brother, Carlo, was looking irked by Gina’s clear annoyance.
As I considered adding fuel to the fire with an asshole comment, something caught my eye, well, not something,someone. Bruni. “Son of a bitch!” I hissed, causing both of my brothers to turn to me and then follow my gaze.
“You are kidding me,” Carlo said, already preparing to get to his feet.
“Brother, let me, please?”
Carlo wasn’t just my brother, he was the head of our family and as such everything went through him, particularly family business, and although the venom running through my blood for the man being shown to his seat a few rows away to our side in the theatre we occupied was very personal, his death, if my brother allowed it, would inevitably become professional.
Carlo was already on his phone and Gina’s irk was morphing into complete fury as he began to bark orders at her.
She pursed her lips until she was pouting. “I have been waiting months to see this show with this cast.”
“If I need to, I will get a showing only for you, but right now, you need to shut up and go home.”
“I am not one of your men,” she snapped as her eyes glowed bright.
When she had first come into our fold, she would have shouted those words from the roof top, but now, she had the good sense and respect for her husband’s position to convey her feelings more discreetly.
“If you were then we would not be having a debate because you would do as you were told or I would shoot you.”
Jay was already on her feet, landing a kiss to Marco’s cheek and preparing to leave via the exit to the rear that she and Gina needed to leave by. She stopped next to her friend and pulled her to her feet. “You have a baby to get home to and I need sleep.”
Gina looked between her friend and Carlo. “We will be discussing your threat to shoot me when you get home.”
“I look forward to it, Dolcezza,” he replied, but she was already turning to leave. “Gigi,” he called after her. “I love you and kiss the bambino goodnight from Papa.”
And like that her face broke out into a grin. “Don’t be late.”
I looked across at my brothers, both of whom had their eyes fixed on their wives until they saw them safely with our security team.
“How do you want to do this?” Carlo gave me his undivided attention.
“Slowly and painfully.”
