His jaw is clenched, the muscles working as he takes a long sip. I know better than to speak right now. When Dom gets like this, it’s best to let him simmer down on his own.
Sure enough, after a few minutes, he turns his piercing blue gaze on me. “Did you hear everything?”
I nod, not trusting my voice.
The sound of heels on marble makes me tense, and I glance up to see my mother striding towards the edge of the pool, her face twisted in a scowl.
“Amara! There you are, moping around the pool as usual.” She tosses her perfectly coiffed hair over one shoulder. “When are you going to stop acting like a hermit and get yourself a boyfriend?”
“I’m relaxing.”
“You need to get out of this house!” she yells as she turns to Dom. “It’s bad for the soul being in here.”
Dom’s eyes narrow, and he opens his mouth, but I beat him to it.
“I’m thinking about going to the Conti party. Poppy wants to go too.”
She purses her lips and nods lightly. “Well, you should listen to me and seriously consider Mateo as a boyfriend. He’s the perfect mafia man. Better still, he’s a second son, so no responsibilities, and he’ll look after you.” She shoots a dirty look in Dom’s direction. “Unlike some people.”
“He likes to be called Con.” I resist the urge to roll my eyes. “He’ll also probably kill me. Con is a psycho.”
My mother laughs, the sound sharp and brittle. “Stop being so dramatic, Amara. Mateo is the most dangerous of all the Conti sons, but he’ll look after you, not hurt you.” She turns to Dom. “Maybe you should take a page out of his book and start taking care of your own.”
Dom’s grip tightens on his glass. I know I need to intervene before things escalate. “I might go to the party,” I say quickly. “We’ll see.”
My mother nods, apparently satisfied, and turns on her heel. Her heels click against the marble as she heads back inside the house.
As soon as she’s gone, I let out a long breath. “She’s full of it today.”
Dom raises his eyes. “My fault, I’m afraid.”
“It must be such a hardship being offered two million dollars.”
Dom’s expression softens slightly. “Oh, I’m sorry you had to hear that.”
“It’s okay.”
I swim to the edge of the pool and pull myself out. All the time, thoughts of Con linger.
I don’t like him. He’s dangerous and there is something about him that makes me never want to go anywhere near him, but perhaps that’s also what makes him perfect.
Maybe Mateo Conti is the only one who can protect me from the predicament I’ve found myself in.
I pull myself out of the pool, water streaming off my skin. My two-piece feels like a second skin, snug against me.
As I wring out my hair, I nearly bump into Dom.
He’s now leaning against the doorframe of the French doors, arms crossed, eyes roaming over me. His gaze lingers just a beat too long on my legs and curves before he meets my eyes.
His normally cold blue eyes hold a warmth today that feels almost comforting, but I shove those thoughts aside.
Dom is gorgeous—tall and built like a statue. He has almost-black hair that curls at his nape, a short beard that frames his jaw perfectly, giving him a rugged charm that will make any girl swoon despite being forty-seven years old.
I can’t go there.
I shake off the shiver that skitters down my spine from his intense gaze, and pretend to look around for my towel.
“About what you heard.” His voice is low and smooth.
