“Oh, now you’re threatening me?” She yanked her arm out from mine, but I only reached for her again. Her skin felt like silk to my touch, but it didn’t pacify the raging anger I felt at her mentioning suicide. I wanted to yank her over my lap and spank the shit out of her for saying such a stupid thing.
“You’re goddamn right I’m threatening you. You’re talking like a spoiled brat.”
“Santo!” she hissed. “How dare you? I’m old enough to—”
“We covered that. I don’t fucking care how old you are. You want to talk about bullshit like ending it?”
I pulled her to me. My chest heaved from the effort of controlling myself. The thought of a woman as brilliant, as beautiful, as perfect as Rosa, throwing it all away because life got hard made me want to shake some sense into her.
“You think you should even say that shit out loud, even give it any power at all?”
We were too close. Closer than we’d ever been. She was on the taller side for a Rossi woman, but not as tall as me. She was slender and willowy. I could overpower her so easily it was laughable.
“I can’t believe after everything we’ve been through you’d want to threaten me.”
I shook my head. “I can’t believe after everything we’ve been through you’d be so stupid. As if—as if none of us cares about you.”
And I thought she was the coward?
She blinked, and her lip trembled. We’d crossed a line and we both knew it, a line that couldn’t ever be uncrossed.
I touched a Rossi woman unbidden.
They’d kill me for this.
But I’d always liked the adrenaline rush of breaking the rules, and I wouldn’t stop now. When she blinked again, a tear rolled down her cheek.
“You’re the only one who ever gets it, Santo,” she whispered.
I’d wear that honor like a badge.
And just like that, I wanted to hold her to me. I’d never wanted to do that to another human in my life.
I reached my thumb to her cheek and brushed a tear away. While she watched me, I placed my thumb in my mouth. I drank her salty tear.
I pulled her closer to me. My dick was so hard it was painful, but I ignored it. I’d rather cut off my own balls than violate her. And if we did anything consensually, her brothers would happily do the deed for me.
“Don’t be gentle, Santo,” she said, shaking her head. “Please.”
“Why not?” I whispered back.
“I’m afraid I’ll fall in love with you.”
“Motherfucker.” Mario scowls at the cards in my hand as he tosses his on the table and folds. Orlando eyes me warily and pushes more bills onto the growing pile. Romeo watches with his arms crossed on his chest. He folded his hand first.
I bring myself back to the present and stop thinking about the past.
I don’t think he cares. I think he wanted to watch more than anything.
But Tavi gives me a look and tosses more money into the pot.
“You’re a fuckin’ cheat.” Mario glowers at me, but I give him a cool look.
“You wanna talk about that outside, brother?” I haven’t lost at poker in ten years, and haven’t cheated a day in my life.
Mario scowls. “Nah, man, I’m racing tomorrow.”
Dario grins. His arm’s still bandaged from the intentional knife wound inflicted by Romeo that made him bleed. All of ours had bled, but Dario’s was the deepest cut.
We sealed the blood oath between us last night. Tomorrow I go back to Tuscany. My flight leaves first thing in the morning, but I wanted one more night with my brothers.
It was my suggestion we play cards, and I totally fucking manipulated them into playing in the back room of Elise’s shop downtown.
A risk, maybe, but a risk I was willing to take.
I want one more night with Rosa, too, even if she’s on the showroom floor. I know she’s here. I can feel her. I can hear her voice as she talks to customers and Elise.
She doesn’t know I’m here yet.
The back stockroom for Elise’s store connects to a warehouse where we conduct business. Romeo secured this place for the sake of all of us. Located in Copley Square in Boston, it’s a perfect place to do the clean work, while the dirty work often takes place in Orlando and Tavi’s North End locations.
Here, we conduct business, place orders, and have necessary meetings in Boston without having to travel to The Castle on the North Shore .
I hear her. Rosa’s voice sounds right outside the door. My heart smacks against my ribcage, but I keep my poker face.
I wanna see her one more time before I go, and this is the safest damn way.
I toss my hand down.
They curse me out and shove money at me. I take my time picking it up.