Page 66 of Texting My Mafia Boss

I stumble away from him, feeling like I’m sleepwalking, then almost trip. He quickly rushes to me, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me against him. I lean on him, feeling numb.

“Oh, Mara,” he whispers, kissing the top of my head.

“I thought my aunt hated me,” I say, voice cracking.

“She worked to pay off that house and keep you away from this world,” he says. “And then, years later, you walked straight into this world, anyway. Worse—with your eyes closed.”

I turn to him. “Walking into this world is the best thing I ever did, Ettore. Because I met Sylvie. I learned the truth. And we get to be together.”

“Mara,” he moans. “My perfect Mara…”

He kisses me softly, full of passion, but with a gentleness and care I never could’ve imagined in him before. I wrap my arms around him and hold on tightly, savoring the connection. He pulls back, but keeps his face close, kissing me on the cheek lightly.

“I should’ve told you sooner,” he says.

“Yes, you should have,” I reply firmly. “And part of me wants to storm out of here, hold onto that, fuel the fire, hate you, hate this whole twisted world. But I can’t abandon that precious little girl. And no, Ettore, I can’t abandon you either.”

He smiles. “This is going to get complicated.”

I press myself against him. “You don’t think it’s been complicated this entire time?” I initiate the kiss this time, andthere’s nothing gentle about it. “You mentioned a conflict earlier today. At your office. Is this war with the Calvis?”

His expression changes. He looks savagely interested. “The way you sounded then, it’s like you want the answer to be yes.”

“You’re a dangerous man,” I say.

He slides his hands down to my hips. I love the way he squeezes there, like they’re his personal handholds, like he can’t get enough. “I am,” he groans.

“If you go to war with these people, with…” I think hard. “Ruggero and Bastian, it will be more than a dispute over business or territory or whatever these idiots are doing. It will be for my family, and all the innocent families these monsters have killed. How can you claim to walk the line, Ettore, if you’re going to tolerate these devils?”

“Fuck,” he murmurs, turning away, letting out a long breath. He laughs and shakes his head. It’s a laugh of disbelief, like he’s impressed. “You sounded like a mafia queen then.”

“I’m just a nanny.”

“You sounded like a skilled operator, like a woman every mafioso would kill to have on his arm. You sounded likemy woman.”

His tone is savage and husky. My body responds as fiercely as does my heart, the rapid beating, the little voice saying this is still wrong even if he commits crimes for justifiable reasons… and the fire in me not giving a damn.

“We can’t commit to anything,” I murmur sensibly. “We have to deal with this issue first.”

“I’m already committed,” he says fiercely.

He grabs me again, pulls me against him. I feel his commitment pressing against my stomach through his pants, his rod with adrenaline and desire.

“You’re right,” Ettore growls. “It’s time these bastards paid the ultimate price. But I’m warning you now. This will bring out a side of me you don’t want to see. If I’m going to do this, I need to be a wolf. I need to be a man covered in shadows. I need to be the version of me that scares my little girl.”

We’re on the precipice now, teetering on darkness.

“And that means I’ll need you,” he goes on, pulling me tighter against him. “I’ll need you to be there for my girl. I’ll need you to handle the darkness.”

“I won’t just handle it. I’mpartof it. They stole my family. They made it impossible for my aunt to care. They took my identity.”

“Good,” he says, leaning down for another kiss.

We stumble further into the darkness. We’re inside the hedge maze now, out of sight of the house. The kiss deepens, and my body lights up with a new kind of passion, hot and electric, with an added hint of danger.

“Are you still sore?” he growls.

“Sex doesn’t always have to be this drawn-out thing,” I whimper. “And I’m sure you’ll pay me back…”