AllFreeNovel
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There are boxes at the foot of the bed. He’s humming to himself as he pretends like he’s straightening up, but I know what he’s doing.
Waiting me out. And it’s working.
“Alright, what are those?” I ask through a tight jaw.
“Just some boxes.” This man is infuriating, but he must be able to read my mood. “Filled with your things.”
I lean against the doorframe and run both my hands through my hair. “How? And why?”
“Nana let me pick you up. All it took was another carton of cigarettes.”
“Traitor.” I don’t mention that she would’ve sold me out for less.
“She pointed out what you’d need. Clothes, toiletries, that sort of stuff. Your room’s still intact.”
“That’s good at least. I’ll have a place to run when you and me inevitably crash and burn.”
“You break my heart. There’s no faith in you.”
“Faith? Sweetie, I’m walking on water right now. It’s inevitable that I’ll drown.”
Which only makes him laugh. He comes over and drags me into the room, practically forcing me to go through what he brought. Nana did a good job: I won’t need to go back anytime soon.
Traitors. All of them traitors.
“For now, we’ll live here. But I meant it when I said we could buy our own place. And if you want to move your brother and your grandmother?—”
“Let’s see how we work out before you start uprooting everyone I care about.” This guy is relentless. He’s not going to stop until he’s got his hands in absolutely everything. Though they are nice hands.
“That’s fair. Go ahead and get settled. I’ll make dinner.”
“Hold on. Wait a second.” I hold up a palm, pretty sure he’s messing with me. “You cook?”
“I grew up in an Italian household and I was friendly with the chef.”
“Of course you had a chef.” I roll my eyes.
“There are perks to my business.”
“Which is what, exactly?”
He deadpans. “Sports gambling.”
I give him a little snort laugh. “We’re still pretending, huh?” Everyone knows this guy is in the mafia. He can’t hide it—the guy oozes danger.
“It’s better that we keep it that way. For a while, at least.” He walks past me, but pauses to trail his fingers down my back. When I turn to tell him to quit it, he’s already gone.
Heat pools in my stomach. One tiny gesture from him and I’m already thinking about that night. I stare at the bed and everything we did together plays through my head. It was one heck of a marathon session, I have to admit. The man is both a stud and extremely fit. I can’t really complain about his stamina, though he did leave me a little sore the next morning.
I get unpacked. I could live out of the boxes as a protest, but there’s no reason for it. I made my bed and I might as well get comfortable. Clothes go into drawers, get hung in the gorgeous walk-in closet, and by the time I’m finished, I find him down in the kitchen stirring a pot.
“Risotto,” he says.
“An ambitious first meal.”
“I probably should set the bar a little bit lower, but I can’t help myself. Mind pouring me some wine?” He ladles in broth and stirs, and I get him a drink. I’d like to have one myself, but the whole baby thing keeps me sober. His biceps are getting a workout as he keeps on ladling and stirring, ladling and stirring, but I don’t mind the show. I stare at his arm and try to ignore the tingling in my stomach again, but it’s impossible.
We eat together at the table. It feels strange, but not uncomfortable, and the food’s absolutely incredible. “Seriously, where did you learn this?”
