ROSALINE Luciano walked ahead of us with his mother, who kept a hand wrapped around his arms to keep him close. This effort to keep him with her only solidified the point. She wanted to keep Luciano away from me. I focused on my steps as we walked through the streets with lights everywhere. Stalls
“When they’re fed with these beliefs, it’s our duty to cut them some slack. We must tell them it’s okay to be who they are. That is all they need. It’s a need, not an expectation,” I ended with a sigh. “I was so tired of him telling me what to do and whatnot that I lost it,” Lys reasoned. “I know.
LUCIANO I watched as Rose disappeared into the crowd and then ran a hand through my hair. This was bad. What I had done was fucking bad. My nerves had gone on fire when she had called me a coward. She should have known better than to do it. I whipped around, only to come across Lys standing with h
I nodded. “I’ll check around once more.” I did not care what I had to do to get her back, but I would have done it, even if it meant dragging her ass halfway back from New York. My nerves jittered as I searched the entire premises and returned to the foyer. Lys hurried back from the beach and said
“I’m here because I want to be.” She nodded. “You’re here for yourself and you can leave for yourself.” Cara let me return to my room before letting Luciano and Lys know I was back. Cara was right. I had lost the reason I was here. Was it just because I liked the sex and the desire that Luciano of
ROSALINE I took out the best swimsuit I had brought along and put it on. The padded bikini top made my breasts look fuller and the high waist bottom accentuated my waist. I had never had the chance to wear it back in New York with dozens of Cosa Nostra men ogling at me, but here I could be myself,
“Your brother is the only one engaged to be married.” Her eyes widened, and she shifted toward me. “So, you’re not ?” Seeing me shake my head, she squealed, “I’m rooting for you and my brother. I sincerely believe you both look amazing together.” “Hold up,” I said, chuckling. “Don’t get your hopes
Again… what after Luciano? *** LUCIANO I was signing the papers for our alliance with the Callahans when my phone rang. A bartender from the local pub had said that my brother had gone unconscious at the bar. It was surprising, given the timing. Pietro was never a day drinker and he had never bee
“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