ROSALINE It was Friday already, and time for me to leave for my mama’s place. I dreaded today because my guilt nagged me every fucking second. Fabiola was beside me on the couch, her legs folded and hands holding the coffee mug. Bella and Alessia were in the kitchen, the sound of their laughter fi
“I know, brother. Now stop being a creep and go.” I flashed him a mischievous grin and trudged toward Mama, exhausted from the four-hour drive from New York to Boston. Mama wrapped her hands around me in a firm embrace, but I knew she was watching Dom, hoping he would say something to her. But, as
“She is.” Antoine patted the back of my head before moving into the kitchen. He was a professional chef with the maddest skills. I certainly knew why Mama had married him. He cooked, was stable with a lot of patience and he was good-looking and French. What else could a woman want? My phone rang,
ROSALINE As the cab parked in front of the restaurant that Luciano had texted me the address of, my heart palpitated. I could not do it. I could not stand in front of him and pretend as if my brain cooperated with my senses when it was exactly the opposite. My body and mind would lose touch the mom
“And she said nothing?” My lips thinned, and he quickly said, “Then she must be pretty cool with the gory details.” “Oh, she doesn’t know you’re the Capo of ‘Ndrangheta, and it’ll be better if she doesn’t,” I stated as matter-of-factly. “I suppose it’s good. I wouldn’t want your brother pointing a
“But you’re older than my brother. Dom's twenty-eight and you're… twenty-nine, if I remember correctly.” “Seems like you've done your research.” He settled too close to me and the car started. “Since I'm older than your brother, would you rather I be your brother?” “How bad would it be?” I asked i
LUCIANO The last time I had been inside the Rossi mansion, I had received the biggest blow to my ego. The news about Belle’s secret marriage to Adonis Vitale, of all people, had made me want to go on a killing spree. Yet I had controlled my anger and had behaved for the sake of our alliances and t
A soft grunting noise reached my ears, and I alerted my senses. This was an enemy area and my life could have been in danger, though I doubted Matteo would be too hasty with such moves. My eyes fell on the girl standing on the other end of the large courtyard, the green maxi-dress clinging to her p
“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