We separate at the same time, and I slowly turn around to face her. I tuck her hair behind her ears. “Are you doing okay with everything that happened tonight?” My fingers caress her face of their own volition.
“I was terrified,” she admits.
“I can imagine.” My thumb brushes against her lower lip. “I’m sorry that happened, but I promise I will keep you protected and safe.”
“I trust you,” she quietly says, but she looks troubled.
My thumb traces her lips. “It’s late. You should go to bed.”
She opens her mouth to speak, and my thumb slips between her lips without thought. Heat flares in her eyes as her lips wrap around it, and I am going to hell. With my free hand, I tug her body flush against mine. “Go to bed. Please,” I say, groaning as she sucks my thumb while fucking me with her eyes. “Fuck, Sloane.” I remove my thumb and lower my head, needing to kiss her so badly. My lips brush against hers just as my cell rings.
I step back, creating distance between us. Pulling my cell out of my pocket, I quickly glance at it. “I’ve got to take this.” Leaning down, I kiss her soft cheek. “Go to bed, Sloane. I’ll see you in the morning.”
25
CRISTIAN
The door snicks shut behind Sloane. “Fuck,” I say into the phone when I answer Caleb’s call.
“That bad, huh?”
“Goddamn it.” I slump onto the couch and sigh. “I just kissed Sloane, and I was about to do a whole lot more if you hadn’t interrupted.”
“Screw my shitty timing. I’ll hang up, and you can pretend like this never happened.”
The line dies, and I stare at my cell for a few seconds before laughing. I love that my best friend is still the same crazy goofball I’ve grown up with. I call him back, but he doesn’t answer the first two times. On the third time, he picks up. “Dude, this can wait. Go get your girl.”
“She’s not my girl, and I’ve sent her to bed. Alone.”
Caleb heaves out a sigh. “You’re your own worst enemy, DiPietro.”
“Don’t I know it.”
“I heard about tonight,” Caleb says, and all trace of humor is gone from his tone. “Wanted to check in and ensure you were all okay.”
“We’re fine. We were well protected, and the idiots were massively outnumbered.”
“I want in on the interrogation. I haven’t had any fun in a long time.”
“There won’t be an interrogation.” I swing my legs around, lying lengthways on the couch with my feet dangling over one side. “When we got to Staten Island, we found all three dead in the back of the van.”
“Poison pill?” Caleb accurately guesses.
“Yeah. We should’ve checked them more thoroughly.”
“Cartel men?”
“They wereCosa Nostrabut could’ve been put up to it by the cartel.” I lean my head back and sigh. “Our own men tried to take us out at a fucking family wedding.”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah.”
“You recognize them?” my buddy asks.
“No, but we’ll ID them in time. Ben is already on it. He might even have an update in the morning.” Our president has called an emergency sitting of the board first thing.
“Okay. We’ll talk more then.”
