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Marco tries to open his mouth, but he just gets another fistful of Nico’s knuckles.
“Stop!” I cry again. Sure, the guy is a total dickwad for tricking me, but he doesn’t deserve to die for it. And more importantly, I don’t want Nico in jail for it.
“You’re going to pay for this, you fucking asshole.” Another punch.
“Enough!” Marco spits.
“It’ll never be enough. You just tried to fuck the woman I love, you pezzo di merda!”
Marco’s eyes go wide, his mouth curving into a capital O. The exact expression I imagine I must be wearing.
“Love?” I blurt out because I have no self-control.
“Oh, fuck me, Nico, you love her?” He spits out a wad of saliva mixed with blood.
Nico straightens and drags his hand through his wild hair, his eyes settling on me. The tie at the back has come undone, and with the rage streaking through those brilliant orbs, he looks like an avenging dark angel ascended straight from the bowels of hell. “I love you, Maisy.” He stands and walks toward me, his head hanging low. “You’ve done something to me, something far more powerful than my relentless desire for revenge or power. I’d do anything for you. I’d be anyone to make you happy. I’m completely mad, obsessed and in love with you.”
My fragile heart shatters into a million pieces as I meet those tortured, tormented eyes. “I—I…” I want to say those three little words back, but fear lodges them in my throat.
Marco pushes himself off the ground, wiping at his split, bloodied lip. “I’ll, uh, give you guys some privacy.” He turns to me, and I can’t help but stare at Nico’s exact duplicate. The brothers are nearly identical with the exception of Marco’s eyes – one blue and one brown. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have fucked with you like that, Maisy. I was just messing around. I didn’t realize things were so serious between you two?—”
“Leave the penthouse,” Nico interrupts. “But don’t go far, coglione. I’m not done with you yet.”
Marco dips his head and trudges out.
A long minute of silence lingers after he’s gone. “I’m so sorry he pulled that stunt on you, little fox,” he finally mutters. “Dio, he’s such a child, pulling shit he used to do when we were kids. He’s angry at me and—it doesn’t at all make up for what he did, but fuck, I just don’t know what to say other than I’ll make him pay for it.”
I slump onto the mattress and tug the comforter up to my chin. “Why wouldn’t you tell me you had a twin brother?”
“It’s not something I typically share with anyone. Over the years, we’ve found our likeness can come in handy, especially when it comes to keeping our enemies off guard.”
“Because you’ve been pulling these switcheroos?”
He nods. “As much as I want to kill my brother for what he did, it’s a game we’ve been playing our whole lives. It’s a tactic that has gotten us out of many challenging situations.”
“You should have trusted me…” The fact that he didn’t is almost worse than what happened.
“I know.”
Nico stands in the exact same spot he’s been glued to since his brother left. His eyes are cast down, dark brows furrowed, and his lips are pinched. The typical proud set of his broad shoulders is gone, despite the fine suit he still wears.
He finally exhales a long breath and turns to face me. “I’m so sorry, Maisy, about all of this. And obviously, that’s not exactly how I pictured this rather pivotal moment going.”
I cross my arms over my chest and inject steel into my tone. “Which part? Your brother pretending to be you, or you blurting the first thing that came to your head in the heat of the fight?”
He shakes his head, his expression turning like stone. “It wasn’t the first stupid thing that came to my head, baby.” A rueful laugh escapes his thinned lips. “I wish it were that simple, but the God’s honest truth is that I am in love with you.” He drops to his knees and places his strong hands on my thighs, but his eyes lift to meet mine. “I don’t expect you to say it back just yet. I know this has come as a shock—to both of us. I’m not certain I understood it myself until I almost lost you in that explosion. But I promise you this, Maisy, you will be mine.”
I nod slowly, taking in the depth of emotion burning through his mesmerizing gaze. I’m not exactly certain Nico Rossi knows what real love is, but I believe he feels whatever this is with every piece of his dark soul.
“I don’t want to talk about Marco anymore or his deplorable behavior. This isn’t about him, it’s about us.” His eyes lock to mine, the brilliant depths teeming with emotion. “Now spread your legs for me, little fox, because I owe you a night you’ll never forget.”
CHAPTER 33
I’M NOT GOING ANYWHERE
Nico
Maisy lifts a challenging brow as my hands move up her thighs and crawl beneath her negligée. She was waiting for me in this sexy little number. Before my asshole brother showed up and nearly ruined everything. Anger still throbs through my veins at the thought of his hands on my little fox.
