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“Right before I came to you, she told me that she hates me.” Rafe’s lips twitch. “If by some miracle you make it back home tonight, I’m sure she’ll come around.” He stops at a red light and turns to me. “Look at Cleo. She came around even after I forced her to marry me.” I drag my teeth over my bottom lip. “I not only forced Blake to marry me, I also set her house on fire so that she’d move in with me.” Rafe makes a surprised huff. “I didn’t realize this was a competition, but all right, you win.”
“You look a bit out of shape.” “Liar. I’m in great fucking shape, as always.” “If you say so.” “I’m about to get my head blown off, and you’re still giving me shit.” “What else am I supposed to do? Cry?” “Fuck, no. I have a feeling you’re an ugly crier. I don’t need to see that in my last hour on earth.”
“You can be mad at me,” he says in a low voice. “You can hate me. You can wish me dead. But you will never threaten to hurt yourself again. If you do anything to put yourself in harm’s way, I swear to God, Blake, I will build a cage and lock you in it.”
Pain explodes inside my brow. I stagger back, blinking against the blood dripping into my fucking eye. “Fuck!” Alessio cocks a brow. “Did you want me to announce when I’m about to hit you?”
“You’ll be useless to me with a broken arm or leg.” I give him a dark smile. “Then don’t break ’em.”
Alessio tilts his head. “You didn’t come in to work. I thought I’d give you a courtesy call before coming over to kill you, and Blake picked up and explained the situation.”
“No.” I get to my feet and walk right up to Alessio, who’s looking at me curiously. I’m so angry and tired that I don’t have the energy to hold my tongue. “I was up all night because of what you did to him. I’m not doing that again. You hear me? You’re out of your damn mind if you think he’s going anywhere today. He’s going to get some rest, and you’re going to leave us alone.” Silence descends on the room, so thick you could bite into it. I glance at Nero. His eyes are wide with shock. Alessio sniffs and has the decency to look somewhat ashamed. “Fine. He can take today off.”
What is this? The mob version of The Devil Wears Prada? Alessio Ferraro is a fucking diva. The coffee shop he sends me to is on the other side of town.
Blake could have escaped when I was unconscious. She could have taken my keys, wallet, and phone, ignored all my warnings, and been on her way to California by now. But she stayed and took care of me. And then she scolded Alessio Fucking Ferraro like he’s a kid in middle school instead of the biggest psychopath in New York City.
Alessio takes another loud bite. “I won’t hurt her. I like her.” I narrow my eyes at him. “Why?” “She wasn’t scared of me. Most girls are scared of me.” That’s because she’s got no idea how fucking cuckoo you are.
Alessio pops the apple core into his mouth. What is he, a fucking horse? “Go ahead. You can take breaks, you know? Wouldn’t want your wife to yell at me again about the working conditions.”
I miss her. I want her. Not as a fucking friend. Just as fucking mine.
Panic grips me, and I shove at his chest. “Stop. Stop.” He pulls back with a rough groan. “Baby…”
“Because I’m obsessed with you, baby. Haven’t you realized that by now?”
I didn’t miss the way Maksim looked at her last night. He practically frothed at the mouth over my wife. My. Fucking. Wife.
“I just wonder if your wife will be patient enough to wait,” Sergio chimes in, tossing his chips into the center with a clatter. “If not, and if she’s as beautiful as Maksim says, tell her I’ll be happy to take her off your hands.” Chuckles erupt, but they’re tense. Probably because they can tell I’m contemplating murder. “You say one more thing about my wife, and I’ll break your neck.”
I walk toward him with slow, measured steps, enjoying the way all color seeps out of his face. He turns off the tap. “Hey, Nero. All good? I didn’t mean to offe—” “I’m not here to chat,” I growl. I drag him to the toilet, shove his head into the bowl, and flush until he nearly drowns.
“When are you going to understand that other women don’t exist for me anymore? There’s only you. There will only ever be you.”
Before he can utter another damn word, I grab him by the collar and slam him against his bookshelf. “If you ever make a proposition like that to my wife again, it will be your last sentence. Do you understand?” Behind us, Blake sucks in a harsh breath. My grip tightens. “Do. You. Understand?”
“But, Sunshine, the more I see you fight the feelings that are trying to burst out of you, the more determined I become. I will wait for you for however long it takes. I’d rather face your scornful looks and your righteous anger than exist in a world where you’re not mine.”
“Believe me, I know. But I also know that as long as my heart beats, I’m going to keep trying to find a path back to you. Back to us.” Her shining eyes pierce through me as she sobs. I press my forehead to hers. “You’re it for me. You are my first love. And you are my last.”
“I’m going to…” My body feels boneless, spent from that first orgasm, but incomprehensibly, another one is building deep inside my core. “You’re going to come for me like the good girl that you are,” he growls against my ear. “Your pussy’s going to milk me dry, baby. Let me see it.”
Concern flashes over his expression. “How bad is it? Should I call Doc just in case? If you’re in pain, maybe he can prescribe something.” I swat at his arm. “You are not going to call Doc and tell him about how you destroyed my vagina last night. I’ll be fine.”
She arches a brow. “You think I’m an introvert?” “Aren’t you? Back in Darkwater Hollow, your favorite hobby was to sit at home and read.” “No need to call me out like that.” “Just stating facts.”
He set my house on fire to keep me close to him. What kind of a lunatic does that? This is the first time that thought doesn’t fill me with rage. On the contrary. It’s just… I mean, it’s kind of…funny? And sweet? My eyes snap wide. My God, am I for real?
“That’s fucking perfect. Did I ever tell you I think he wants to live on a farm? He has a farm in the Sims game he plays.”
She’s given herself to me physically, but I don’t just want her body. I want all of her to be mine, without any hesitations, doubts, or fears. And I won’t give up until I get that.
The trigger beneath my index finger feels like it’s burning as Ekaterina raises her gun again. I squeeze it. And then I squeeze it again. And again. I empty the entire clip into Ekaterina until she collapses to the ground.
“Drink this.” Something clanks against the coffee table. I crack one eye open. Alessio brought me water. “Did you spike it with arsenic?” “You have a morbid sense of humor.”
“I’m taking you to the park. You need to be taken for a walk and aired out.” “I’m not a fucking puppy,” I mutter. His gaze narrows. “What’s that?” Ugh. That’s his don’t-give-me-that-shit voice. He’s not gonna leave until I do as he says.
“Have a little faith.” “You know I’m a fucking atheist.”
“Your brother’s marrying my sister. Tell him if he gives her chlamydia, I’ll cut off his dick, sauté it, and force-feed it to him for breakfast.”
