“That’d be excellent,” she rejoiced. I turned back to Bella, who was right across from me, looking at me as if she had caught a lie. She was excellent at reading people, which was only going to be a problem for me. Avoiding her gaze, I looked at Alessia. A few weeks ago, if anyone had asked me to
LUCIANO I sat on the couch beside Pietro and took the tumbler of scotch from his hands. He had not said a word since I had entered his penthouse, which was unusual. It had to be because of the quarrel we had had the other day. “Is there something I should know?” He shook his head, making me frown
“We already have enough sea and air trades, if that’s what you’re suggesting.” “No, it’s not that,” he clarified. “I was thinking about focusing more on our road trade since that is the problem. Every other alternative is covered.” Receiving a hum of approval from me, he continued, “The Bandidos bi
“Yes, boss.” *** ROSALINE “How was your trip to your mother’s?” Paulina asked the sound of the purring tattoo machine echoing in my ears. I huffed. “The usual. She and her husband are too good to be true people.” “You say it like it’s not good.” “Everything about them is so perfect that someti
ROSALINE “Behave,” Dom said, scanning Terenzio from top to bottom when we reached the main gate of the Arena. Dom never talked his heart out to anyone, because he did not enjoy showing his weak side. He had always said that I was the last string binding him to the only part of him that still belie
The announcer got on the stage and began the event, the cheers of men filling the room. Every boxer was equally frightening, with tattoos and scars and wounds and bandages. The first round began with two men greeting each other with a simple handshake and a nod, which turned bloody very soon. They
He wrapped his hands around my waist, and his warm breath fell on my ear. I wanted to melt into his body, not caring if I was caught. I wished I could forget about Dom and Adonis and give in to my inner turmoil that wanted to devour De Luca and be ruined by him. “I know you feel it too,” he mumbled
LUCIANO The first time I had felt uncontrolled anger was when a man had accidentally bumped into my mother’s chest at a mall. I did not need Ma to say aloud what had happened, but the way her face had reddened, the way she had stammered and her entire body had shaken, I knew what that man had done.
“Thank fuck, you’re here,” Pietro sounded. “She didn’t take an epidural or whatever the fuck that is.” “What?” Rose had told me about it, how it could reduce the pain. But if she had not taken it— A loud cry sounded from the other side of the door, and my breath hitched. “Luciano, you need to go
LUCIANO “Have our men withdrawn from New York?” I asked, scrolling through the articles on my laptop. “It’s been eight fucking months since the break.” The inactivity in the east and west, both Cosa Nostra and Outfit, had been very nerve-wracking. Since the dramatic outbreak between Belle and Adon
I smiled. “What do you plan?”“Do you have any plans?”“Nothing big, but I was hoping to buy a country house.” Her smile lit up. “I mean, we certainly can’t raise this kid and our future children in a penthouse. They need a proper environment, sizeable space to run around.”“Our future children? How
Luciano was at the altar, his hands behind his back, his curly, dirty-blond hair pushed back, and behind him was Pietro, dressed in a tuxedo, since he was the best man along with Rione, and Lys and Sabina were the bridesmaids.I met Luciano’s stare and every thought I had left my mind. Even with all
ROSALINEI was not sure why I was doing this. What I knew was my attempts would go in vain and I would be shattered yet again, but I had to try one last time. I had to call Dom.Standing in front of the long mirror—dressed in an off-shoulder sheath-wedding gown with netted sleeves and hair properly
“Even my extra weight?”“Yeah, even my child’s weight.” Smirking, he added, “I liked you with the pink hair. What else could you possibly want?”“Okay, my pink hair wasn’t that bad.”***“There’s a tradition we should talk about,” Luciano said, coming out of the washroom in nothing but a towel wrapp
My eyes widened. “Shit! That was you?”“Do I look that different now?” he asked with his head tilted to the side.“We were in the garden with very low-quality lighting. I did not see your face properly. You were alone, and I thought of keeping you company.”“By asking me to fetch you a drink?”I nar
ROSALINE[SIX MONTHS LATER]I doubted I would ever stay in the studio apartment, except for when I was working. The good thing about this place was it was right above my own office for wedding planning and coordination. After months of research, I was finally into it. Besides, I enjoyed planning the
“I hate it when you try to be one.”Soft laughter tore out of his throat and I licked his bottom lip. His mouth parted immediately but I had other plans. Drawing my face close to his cheeks, I kissed him and then traced my tongue down the stubble to his jawline.He closed his eyes and released a sha