While the threat of violence was a constant presence here, I’d faced similar threats. Being homeless and afraid. Prostituting myself. Nearly starving to death. Taking care of my sister when I was nothing more than a teenager myself.
Surviving all that wasn’t exactly a walk in the park.
While I adored my sister, she’d rarely spent more than a few minutes with me after getting serious with her boyfriend. Luca allowed me to call her whenever I wanted, but because she kept asking where I was and what I was doing, I started to call less often. I didn’t know how to explain my current situation, and really, I started to realize that I no longer wanted to.
I’d made my peace with being with the Varassos. While I loved Tara dearly, she’d essentially grown up. She didn’t seem to need me like she once had. She was off living her own life, now. I’d come to the conclusion that going along with this “business opportunity” might help me do the same.
Things had been going well. I actually found I enjoyed learning about what to do and how to do it. It reminded me of putting a puzzle together, maneuver the right pieces into the right places and a picture began to form. And once the picture formed, profits poured in.
I also enjoyed being around Luca so often. Despite how hot the flames of his temper could burn—him nearly strangling Marco came to mind—he was remarkably patient when showing me the ropes. He never rushed me or made me feel stupid for asking questions. I thanked him for it one day.
“You’re a great trainer, you know. I appreciate how easy you’re making this for me,” I said, keeping my voice low. We stood next to Anna’s crib, watching her as she slept. “Is it because you’ve trained so many others?”
“I haven’t trained anyone before now, at least not like I am you. My father always took on that role.”
“Then you come by it naturally,” I concluded, but he scoffed, nodding his head toward the seating area in his room. Presumably so we could talk without disturbing his daughter. He pulled the door of her room to and we sat on his overstuffed sofa, looking out the window. It’d begun to snow, the fluffy wet flakes gliding through the air to coat everything in white.
“Hardly. Angelo Varasso was the most grueling taskmaster ever. You didn’t make mistakes unless you wanted to pay the price.” When I gave him an inquiring glance, he huffed out a laugh devoid of humor. “He had a wicked backhand.”
“I glad you don’t use those same methods.”
“He never would have hit you, either. Women are to be loved and respected, not hit.”
I shook my head at him. Wrapping my head around the Varasso’s odd logic would give anyone a headache. I wondered if all mafia families were like this or just his. “You’ll shoot women for posting a video you don’t like, but you won’t hit them? Is it just me or does that not compute?”
“I’ll admit that was extreme. You were only on ou
r radar because you mentioned Angelo by name, and your video went viral. Generally speaking, women aren’t targets. But then again, you aren’t like any other woman I’ve ever known.”
Now I scoffed. “It almost cost me everything. If I screw all this up, I suppose it still could.”
“Well, I’d rather you not screw it all up then. I’ve grown accustomed to having you around,” he said, the beginnings of a grin playing around his mouth. He might’ve been joking, but the more I thought about it, the less playful I felt. Maybe because I let a minute pass without responding or maybe because my expression gave me away, he cupped my chin. “You realize I’m kidding, right?”
“Maybe I don’t consider life and death something to kid about.”
He sat up straighter. “You’re right. It’s not. Let me tell you something. When our father first set us upon you, the plan was to kill you. But once I saw you, I couldn’t let it happen. That’s why I stopped him. Part of it was simply because you were a woman, but part of it was how you showed no fear.”
“Maybe not on the outside. On the inside, though, I was quaking in my boots.”
“It was awe-inspiring. You were awe-inspiring. And since I’ve gotten to know you, you’ve only become more amazing. Nothing will happen to you here. I won’t let it.”
“You may not be able to help it, especially if the Bianchis are involved,” I told him, and his features turned grim.
“The Bianchis will never step foot on our property again. I’ve made sure of it,” he promised. I took a deep breath and shivered, feeling a chill. “Are you cold?”
“A little.”
He took a hold of my hand and positioned me so that my back was to his chest. I laid against him, letting his warmth soothe me. Soon, I quit shivering.
With a finger, he touched my chin, tilting it upwards. His face was so close to mine I shivered again. “Still cold?” he asked, and I threaded my hands into his hair.
“No.”
I tugged him toward me, pressing my lips to his. I wasn’t sure what made me do it. Maybe it was our close proximity or the fact that he was the most attractive man I’d ever met. Maybe it was because we’d been through more in a single month than most people experienced in an entire lifetime. Or maybe it was nothing more than a primal, physical need.
But the second I did, Luca responded in kind. His lips were firm yet giving, and the contact caused an avalanche of sensations to flow through me. He took his time kissing me, moving his mouth slowly before opening mine with his tongue. The second he did, I sighed, feeling a yearning for him, a craving, heating up my body from the inside out.
For several minutes, we stayed like that, kissing almost innocently like a couple of virgin teenagers. Luca seemed to be holding back, not taking anything further, even though I knew from the feel of him against me that he wanted more.