Oh, fuck this man.
Seriously. If I don’t get my fast ass out of here, I’m fucking this man.
“I can feed myself.” There’s no heat behind my words. It’s between my legs, slick with sweat.
“You can, but you’re on vacation.” His smirk lifts his beard.
A laugh slips. “Smart ass. You and your Lunchables can go to hell.”
His grin catches me off guard. It’s bright and shows every tooth. “I thought I was being a good host by giving you a taste of home.”
“Is that what you call disappearing after fucking and sucking me? Spare me your hospitality, Salvatore.”
He flinches like he’s not guilty of playing with my time and vacation. I ought to stab him with his knife and take my chances with his little mafia. I’ve already rocked a few jaws.
Benny rests his elbows on his knees, teasing the tattoos over the veins in his forearms. His voice softens. “It won’t happen again.”
“Keep going,” I say.
“My apologies, Trouble,” he chuckles. “I promise not to fuck and run.”
“I don’t want to be left,” I admit. “This isn’t my house. I don’t know anyone and I can’t go out. I neglected my freedom for years, and I want it back, Benny. No threats or coercion. I’ll bite if pushed—and not the good kind of biting. I don’t eat ass, but I’ll tear one out.”
A smile puckers his cheeks. “Can’t have you eating ass.”
“Goodnight.” Forget him and that mango.
I make it two steps before my back is against the counter.
“Don’t go.” The mint on his breath mingles with the citrus of his cologne. His stare suspends me from a distance he erases inch by inch. “What are you doing to me, Trouble?” skates over a whisper, straight to my ovaries.
“I got a call from one of my fishermen in Mazara del Vallo when I was in Eden. He’s part of a team that conducts rescue operations when boats with migrants capsize. I keep drones in the area that I deploy remotely for search and rescue with thermal sensors and high-resolution cameras.”
“To detect bodies in the water?” I ask.
“Yeah.”
“That’s where you’ve been since Saturday?”
He nods.
“Are rescues something you do often?”
“When I can, but that’s a story for another day.” His gaze grows distant over my shoulders.
“And here I thought you had a secret family.”
“Secret family,” he snickers. “You watch too many movies, love.”
The pet name glides down my nightgown.
“Side pieces tear up your house and car, especially if you lie about a situation. I don’t want one flying through my window like special forces because I’m here.”
The dogs jump at Benny’s bark of laughter. His body shakes, flexing his biceps and the slab of muscle around his stomach. He thumbs the tears from his eyes. “I enjoy you, Trouble. Your windows are safe. Only a few people know where I live, and I don’t have women on the side.”
“Don’t run game on me, crime boss.” The smile lighting his face tugs at my own. “Where is the Bianca you wanted?”
“Right here,” he says softly. “I told the other Bianca not to come.”
