“You know,” she says, bumping her hip against mine, “I think the waiter was trying to flirt with me.”
I glance down at her, arching a brow. “He was two seconds from kissing my shoes when he saw my last name on the reservation.”
“Which you insisted on using.” She pokes her finger into my chest. “You just wanted to make a scene.”
“Me? Never.”
She rolls her eyes, but her smile betrays her. Stephanie doesn’t play games.
That’s what I love about her—what makes every second feel like something real in a world full of pretense and blood oaths.
“You didn’t have to growl at him, though.”
“I didn’t growl.”
“You practically marked me like a dog.”
“Don’t tempt me.” I lean closer, brushing my lips along her jaw, my voice low. “You like it when I get possessive.”
Her breath hitches, and her grip on my arm tightens. “Only a little.”
I chuckle, dipping my head to kiss her neck. She smells like honey and leather, warm and sweet with a hint of something sharp underneath.
Addictive. Dangerous.
God, my father would lose his mind if he saw us right now.
He thinks I’m spending tonight discussing logistics with some port contact in the South Side.
Instead, I’m kissing a woman he’d callunsuitable—the daughter of a dentist, with no political value, no Sicilian pedigree, and definitely no interest in bowing to the traditions of our world.
Which is exactly why I can’t stay away.
Stephanie tugs me toward a nearby building alcove, eyes gleaming with mischief. “Come here,” she whispers, already pulling me by the lapels of my coat.
I let her push me back against the brick wall, her fingers twining into my hair as she kisses me.
It’s not gentle.
It's the kind of kiss that makes promises and breaks rules.
Her lips taste like Chianti and a dare.
My hands find her waist, drawing her closer, her curves fitting perfectly against me like the final piece in a puzzle I didn’t know I was missing.
“You always do this,” she says between kisses. “Make me forget where I’m going.”
“Then don’t go.”
She pulls back just enough to smirk. “Don’t tempt me.”
“I’m serious.”
“You always say that when we’re kissing.”
“I’m serious all the time.”
“Gio.” Her tone softens. “You know we can’t stay in this little bubble forever.”
