I lift a brow.
“You don’t remember?” he asks.
“I remember most things but not that. What about my dress?”
“I had to cut it off you. It’s ruined, but I’ll buy you another one.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I want to.” He leans in, putting his face all up in mine. “You were sexy as hell in that dress and those boots.” He fingers my hair. “Not the wig though.” He brings his nose to my hair and inhales. “I love your dark hair.”
I place my hand on top of his. “Leo,” I whisper, almost choking over the myriad of conflicting emotions I’m feeling. “Thank you for taking care of me last night.”
“I love looking after you. It’s never a chore.” Leaning in, he kisses my lips.
It’s a fleeting kiss. Only a brush of his mouth against mine. But I feel it everywhere, and it’s everything.
“Eat, baby. Then we’ll talk.”
We eat in companionable silence, and then we clear the table together and rinse dishes side by side. It’s so normal. Such a familiar couple thing. Yet Gino and I have never done this. I cook and clean up and ensure the house is spotless, the laundry is done on time, and my three men have everything they need.
“Come.” Leo takes my hand, leading me into the living room. He pushes me down on the couch and sits beside me. “What were you doing at Club H last night,dolcezza, and how did you get in?”
“I think why I was there was obvious.”
“Because you haven’t been laid in six months,” he says, and I cringe.
“Fuck. Did I say that?”
His lips kick up. “Yes, among other things.”
“Oh, God.” I bury my face in my hands.
He chuckles, sliding his arm around me as he presses a kiss to my temple. “Don’t be embarrassed. You can tell me anything, even if I didn’t exactly like what I was hearing.”
I lift my head. “Why? What else did I say?”
“Tell me how you got in first.”
“You have to promise you won’t tell Ben.”
“I don’t like keeping secrets from your brother, but this one is a doozy. There is no way Ben can know you were there last night. He will rain bloody murder if he discovers the truth. You can trust me with this. I have already wiped all camera footage and dealt with that asshole Damiano.”
My cheeks pink as I recall the wanton way I let that man touch me in the hallway. Thank fuck, Leo stopped me from taking it any further. I know I would have regretted it, and it was dangerous to consider going off with an Italian American man. I know they recognized one another, which confirms he ismafioso. If he had figured out who I was, I would have signed my own death warrant.
“I stole a visitor card from Ben’s office when I was last at the house,” I explain. “It took me two weeks to pluck up the courage to go to the club. Gino has been calling me weekly, but he’s even more cold and detached. I know Ben told him to end it with that woman. I know he resents me, and every time I get off a call with him, I’m spitting blood. I seriously doubt he’s ended things with her, and I am done playing the dutiful betrayed wife. Fuck him,” I hiss. “Fuck him and that bitch.”
Anger charges through my veins, and I’m all worked up again. “He has never fucked me right anyway, and I have needs. Needs I was no longer prepared to ignore. It’s not like I can just go out and pick up a man in public, so I thought Club H was the solution. I know every member has to sign an NDA and they are not allowed to talk about what goes on at the club. I know names are generally not shared. I went in disguise, and I thought it would be safe.” I chew on the corner of my lip. “Obviously, I was wrong.”
“Why would you seek out a random man, in a fucking sex club of all places, instead of coming to me?”
I blink profusely, rubbing at my ears, sure I must have misheard him. “Leo, why would I come to you?”
His jaw tenses, and all the amusement dies in his eyes. “Because I fucking love you and I know you fucking love me too!” He grips my face in his large palms. “If your husband is neglecting your needs, no matter what they are, you come to me. No one else.Me.”
“You know I can’t!” I cry.
He plants a punishing kiss on my lips, and I melt against him. “Watch my lips,” he says when he pulls back. “I. Don’t. Care.”
