“Maybe she’s got a boyfriend now that she started school,” Sophia muses.Her eyes twinkle when they meet mine.“Maybe she’s met a hot college guy.”
“Can we not talk about my baby sister and hot guys in the same sentence?”Dante asks, rolling his eyes.
“She’s eighteen,” Emilia reminds him, while Luca groans.She gives him a sour sort of look, the way I’ve seen Mama look at Papa a million times.“Oh, and you were such a saint when you were eighteen?I’m sure you were scared of girls.”
“Afraid they would give you cooties,” Sophia adds.The two of them share a laugh and remind me why I’m so glad they’re here.And why I suck so very much.
“Let your sister have a private life,” Mama tells the boys, then narrows her eyes at Cesco.“That includes you.She’s a good girl.She deserves to enjoy herself a little.”
Yep.I am going to hell.There is an entire suite with my name on it.Extra hot.Lots of brimstone.
If only they knew how much I’ve been enjoying myself.We sure as hell wouldn’t be sitting here, enjoying a nice, happy dinner.For once, there hasn’t even been any tense business talk.Papa even seems like he’s in a decent mood, relaxed and content to eat his food and enjoy his family.
And we need to keep it that way.The memory of him looking so ill and weak makes me sick to my stomach every time it pops up, which it tends to do whenever I feel especially guilty.It could literally kill him if he finds out.
Though I’m pretty sure he would hold on long enough to kill Alessandro first.
Alessandro: You leave me no choice.I’ll be in soon to find you.
Really, this is totally unfair.He’s the first guy I’ve ever been involved with.I should be able to enjoy this openly, right?Other people do.I shouldn’t have to creep around like I’m in some Shakespearean drama where two families are at odds, and their kids accidentally get involved.
Maybe I shouldn’t think about that, since there’s no happy ending in that story.I’m not going to go out and like, invest in poison or anything.
“Excuse me.I’ll be right back.”Dabbing my mouth with my napkin, I push my chair back from the table.Nobody is paying much attention—Dante and Sophia are busy talking about what they might like to do for their honeymoon, which they skipped out on after the wedding.I guess it made sense at the time, given their arranged marriage and everything.It was weird enough for them to share a house, much less a hotel in some romantic location, when they didn’t even know each other.
The fact that they can even consider it tells me things are starting to calm down a little bit around here.There has been no further violence from the Scarpetta family or any of the others since the explosion a few months ago.
But no big surprise, Papa won’t loosen the restrictions he put on me.That’s why I’ve had to get creative when it comes to the extra time I spend away from his watchful eye.
As soon as I’m out of the dining room, I take my phone out of my sweater pocket.Since when did my life become so full of secrets and intrigue?I glance over my shoulder to make sure I’m alone before sending a text.
Me: Where are you?
He must have been waiting because he responds right away.
Allesandro: Back patio.
This is wrong.
It’s a mistake.
So why am I walking in that direction?
Cutting through the kitchen, carefully opening the French doors leading out there.The sun has just set, and the sky is clear, so the night’s first few stars are twinkling as I wrap my cardigan tightly around my body, my eyes scanning the darkness.
Finally, he ends the suspense by whispering, “Over here.”He’s at the far end, where the curved balustrade touches the wall.The potted palms over there, combined with the deep shadows, create a perfect hiding spot.
And now the world is bright.That’s the magical thing about him.I didn’t know how bored and lonely I was around here, even after the girls came to live on the grounds, until he came along.There’s something to be excited about now.Something to look forward to.
I trot over, whispering fiercely, “You are going to get me in so much trouble—” The rest of my half-hearted chiding cuts off when he covers my mouth with his and takes my breath away.
I needed this.My soul is singing, the world is spinning, and I know it’s dangerous, but I can’t help myself.I want him too much.
“Fuck, I’ve been going crazy.”He’s panting by the time we come up for air, hands moving over my body like he’s already committed it to memory and knows exactly where to touch me, how to touch me, and how to drive me insane.I have to bite my lip to hold back a helpless whimper when his hand slides down my back to cup my ass.When he pulls me in tight, fingers digging in, my pussy responds with a flood of wetness.
“Me too,” I admit, kissing him again, touching a hand to his chest so I can feel his heart thumping like mine is.“I was counting the minutes until tomorrow morning.”
His dark eyes shine in the darkness, almost hypnotizing me the longer I stare up into them.I would do anything he asks when he looks at me this way.I’m completely under his spell, for better or worse.
