“What is this room for?” I ask, looking around at what I can see with the natural light.
“Nobody knows,” Massimo answers. “Could have been another place for people to sleep. Could have been a place of worship. Could have been for giant orgies.”
“Giant orgies?” My eyebrows shoot up.
“Look at the wall.” Massimo gestures to it and shines his light.
I walk closer, then I blush. The wall is covered in crude drawings that look like they could have been the inspiration for the Kama Sutra.
“Okay, sure,” I admit, turning back to him. “Maybe they had giant orgies down here. Fun! Can we go now?”
“Does that make you uncomfortable?” he chuckles. “Giant orgies?”
“What do you think?” I mutter. “I obviously haven’t been in any giant orgies. I’m sure you have.”
“No,bambina.” He shakes his head. “I don’t like to share. If you were mine, you’d beallmine. You’d only feel my hands on your delicate skin. Only feel my lips—everywhere. No man would ever touch you. They’d die if they tried.”
“Massimo…” I sigh.
“Lea…” he says, walking closer.
I take a step back and my foot slips on a rock. I nearly stumble, but Massimo grabs me. Then he pulls me close until I’m pressed against his impressive physique. I can feel his heat. See the growl as it twitches his lip. “Careful,bambina.”
“Th-thanks,” I whisper, then try to pull away, but he doesn’t let go.
I’ve always wondered what it would be like to stare into the eyes of man who wants to kiss me. Towanthim to kiss me. I know what it looks like now. How enthralling it is. How it makes my heart skip a beat while my stomach flutters and my core trembles.
“I-is there more to see?” I ask, my breath sounding more like a gasp.
“Not down here,” he answers, his free hand moving to my chin and tilting it. “I’m looking at the only thing worth putting my eyes on.”
I swallow hard and close my eyes. I wait for the kiss. My firstrealkiss. I know it’s foolish, but I can’t help how I feel. I want his hands on my skin. His lips—everywhere. I’m mixed up, confused, and falling for a man who can’t offer me more than the rest of this week.
The kiss never comes. Massimo exhales a sharp sigh, steadies me on my feet, and lets go. I hear his footsteps and open my eyes. He’s walking away. At least one of us still has common sense floating around in our head somewhere.
I need to figure out where mine went.
CHAPTER 12
Massimo
What the hell am I doing?
What thefuckam I thinking?
I’ve made peace with what’s coming. The bullet with my name on it. I should be in my penthouse right now, finishing the things I need to finish before it’s all over for me. Not gallivanting around Isola Selvaggia with a gorgeous girl. Not all fucked up inside, wondering if I made the right decision. Not thinking about whether I should put a bullet in my brother’s head, just to have one more damn day with Lea.
“Not much further,” I mumble, motioning ahead and glancing back to make sure she’s still okay.
Okay? That’s a laugh. She’s far from okay. Her face is still a mixture ofare-you-going-to-kiss-meandplease-don’t. She’s as confused as I am, and I’m not making it any easier. The rational part of her brain is telling her why this would be a horrible mistake. And not just because my days are numbered. There aremillions of reasons why she should stay far away from me. Death follows me like a trail of blood and ghosts. I just keep adding to the numbers. But soon… soon I’ll get to join them.
When I made my decision, I imagined my grandfather looking down on me with a smile. Satisfied that my sacrifice would keep the Morandi family from going up in flames. But in these ruins, where memories of our conversations seem to pour out of the walls, I’m questioning everything. My grandfather was a fighter to his last fucking breath. He survived over a dozen assassination attempts when he was sitting at the head of the table. He’d call my brother a traitor. He’d slap my father out of his chair if he hesitated to give me permission to pull the trigger. But my grandfather isn’t here anymore, and my father isn’t as ruthless as he was. I guess that skipped a generation, too.
“Ah!” Lea grimaces, holding up her hand as we exit the ruins and get blinded by the sun.
“Here.” I squint and turn, placing my sunglasses on her. “Can’t have the sun ruining those gorgeous green eyes.”
“Thank you,” she says, smiling when my fingers trace the side of her face as I pull away. “I should have grabbed mine, but I guess I’ve been a little preoccupied. Being taken prisoner by a man who spanked me.”
