“Are you okay?” Carlos asked.
“Yeah, it seemed like a lot of fun.”
“Did you ever have a princess celebration?”
“Let’s not talk about the past.” She closed the messages and turned the phone off completely. “So, do you want to have a rundown of everyone tonight? I think Paolo is the guy we’re looking for, but I don’t know, I don’t like the way he looked at Marchetti. They could be working together.”
“It’s not unheard of for two capos to work together,” Carlos said, resting his head back against the car seat.
“The food was good,” Raven said.
“You were right, though. You had to stand out.”
“Carlos, this fake marriage of ours is going to work even better if you admit that I am right all the time.”
He chuckled. “Is that right?”
“Yep.”
“I’ll take it on board and advise myself accordingly.” Carlos locked their fingers together, and they were both silent.
He wanted to find out everything there was to know about Raven’s past. She was so quiet about everything, never delving in too deep, and it was up to him to find out the truth, and he would.
The limousine arrived at the parking lot of his building. Once he’d helped Raven out, before they even took another step, she put her hand on his shoulder and quickly pulled off the heels. He watched her put her bare feet on the ground.
“You know that is gross, right?”
“I don’t care. My feet are killing me, and they need to feel some love right now.” She held the sandals in her fingers, and they walked to the elevator. His soldiers surrounded him, and Carlos simply wanted to be alone with Raven.
The journey seemed to take longer than usual, and it irritated him, but the moment he was able to shut out his soldiers and just be with Raven, he felt calm, relieved.
Tonight had been a long night, and all he wanted to do was share the rest of it with Raven.
“Carlos,” she said, and he turned toward her. “There’s something I want to … try, but you have to keep your hands by your sides, and not say a damn thing about it when it’s done.”
“Will I be hurt?”
“I don’t think so.”
“What do I get out of it?” he asked.
“What do you want?”
“I don’t know, but how about I have a … token or something that I can use? An I owe you, from you to me.”
“Fine and you can cash it in for anything, so long as it’s not illegal.”
Carlos didn’t have a clue what she wanted as Raven came toward him.
He stared at her, waiting.
“Close your eyes and just trust me. I have no reason to kill you.”
She had every reason to kill him, but she wasn’t aware of just what he’d done.
He closed his eyes and waited. What was she going to do?
Her hands went to his face, and he waited.
She pulled him down, and when her lips touched his, he couldn’t have been more surprised.
He kept his eyes closed and just allowed her to explore his mouth. The kiss was gentle at first, almost as if she was a little afraid to actually touch him. Then, slowly, she deepened the kiss. When she released a little moan, he couldn’t stop himself from wrapping his arms around her.
When her tongue traced his bottom lip, he melded his to hers, tasting her. Slowly, he slid his hands down to her ass, squeezing the plump cheeks. He didn’t want it to end.
His cock was so fucking hard, and he wanted to pound inside her, but all too soon, Raven pulled away, and he opened his eyes.
Her lips were swollen.
“Not a damn word.” She stepped away, turned on her heel, and left.
Yeah, Raven would definitely be his.
Chapter Ten
“I was surprised Raven wasn’t there,” Harlow said.
“Yeah, me too.”
“Do you still think she’s trying to avoid you?” Harlow flicked the lock on the bakery door to open the shop.
Ava should be at home with Umberto, but with Smokey dealing with some club stuff, she didn’t want to be alone. So, she and her baby boy were at the bakery. Umberto was swaddled in the small crib Harlow had purchased for the bakery. She held the walkie-talkie that allowed her to keep an eye on her son.
The scent of baked goods was heavy in the air. Harlow was an amazing assistant. The best person she had hired for the job. She had worked tirelessly to make sure she could take over at the bakery. Ava knew she’d be returning soon, but it had been a welcome relief to know she could rely on Harlow during this time.
“I don’t know. I think so. I thought we had gotten past this, you know.”
“Yeah, I do. If you remember, you told me in great detail that there was no way you could hate Raven anymore. I mean, come on, I think I’ve got a hard-on for her myself. The girl took a beating for you.” Harlow whistled. “If I had a dick, I’d totally bone her.”