My hand drops and my expression becomes taunt again, but it’s too late. This man is on to me, and I’m done denying it. I came here for a reason, and I’m done waiting.
I’m already pushing through the crowd, moving towards her before my mind catches up. My eyes are locked on her like nothing else in this place matters.
What I’m going to do or say when I reach her, I have no clue. I don’t even know how she’s going to react to seeing me here. But I don’t care. I’m going to do something I rarely do; I’m going to put myself out there.
It could very well backfire in my face, but it’s a chance I’m willing to take. Either way, this back-and-forth bullshit between us ends tonight.
Chapter 38
Emily
When Lucia’s eyes widen at something or someone behind me, I half expect another handsy guy to grab me again. There’s something smug in her expression when her gaze snaps back to mine that tells me this isn’t a repeat of earlier.
Thankfully, Lucia carries weight around here, being the underboss’s wife and all. So when some creep cornered me, it didn’t take much for her to have him dealt with. Witnessing it happen was both impressive and intimidating.
Lucia is an Italian beauty—short and petite—but she carries herself with a fearlessness that’s impossible not to admire. She has the heart of a lioness, and even though I have a solid foot on her in height, standing next to her makes me feel like nothing more than a timid little mouse.
If I’m being honest, I didn’t even want to come here tonight, but Lucia can be persistent. She called it phase one of Operation Takedown, whatever the hell that means, but I’m actually having a great time.
It took willpower to walk away from Dominic and Peach when I went home to change. Being there with them is one of my favourite places to be, but Lucia wasright when she said the space would do us both some good.
“Told you,” Lucia mouths, lifting her hand to blow on her blood-red nails, before rubbing them against her dress.
“What?”
“Look behind you.”
I spin around, not sure what I’m going to find, but when I see Dominic all broody and good-looking, my mouth drops open. His button-up black shirt clings to those broad shoulders. The fabric stretches slightly across a defined chest and impressive biceps.
His jaw is chiselled, cheekbones high, and his dark eyes burn with an intensity that makes him impossible to ignore. Every movement he makes is controlled and deliberate, as if he owns the space around him.
It’s a reminder of how much I don’t fit into this world of theirs. I barely survived my time with the Steel Reapers, but the Sicilian mobsters and their feisty women are on a whole other level.
“D-Dom,” I stutter, my voice catching before I can even steady it. He’s the last person I expected to see, and where is Peach? I know him well enough to know he would never leave her home alone.
“I have something I need to say to you, Em,” he says, reaching for my hand and giving it a light, hopeful squeeze.
“You do?” I squeak, immediately wincing at how pathetic that sounds. I take a breath, tip my chin, straighten my spine, and clear my throat, trying to channel some of my friend’s ballsy energy. “I’m busy. It’ll have to wait.”
I don’t even know why he’s here, and as much as I want to find out, I’m done being the person men think it’s okay to walk over. I deserve better.
I shake my hand out of his hold, turn abruptly, and give him my back. As bad as that makes me feel, it’s something I need to do. I’m here with my friend, and I’m not about toabandon her. But when I face Lucia again, I find her wrapped in Romeo’s arms, his tongue tangled with hers.
“Shit,” I mutter.
Dominic steps in behind me, and I feel the hard press of his abs against my lower back. His warm breath brushes my cheek as he leans close. “Do I need to make a scene and throw you over my shoulder, Emily?” his voice is low, smooth, dangerous, and so damn alluring. The warning, however, is unmissable.
I don’t know if it’s the alcohol or the heat of the moment giving me courage, but I spin around to face him. The moment I do, I realise my mistake. Our fronts are now pressed together, impossibly close, and I have to crane my neck to meet his gaze. The heat from him is immediate, wrapping around me as the tension between us hums.
“I’d like to see you try,” I snap, letting every ounce of defiance bleed into my words.
His lips twitch into a slow, amused smirk, as if my sass entertains him. Before I can even react, his hands are at my waist, and with one fluid, effortless motion, he lifts me and swings me over his shoulder.
I gasp, half in shock, half in disbelief, as I dangle completely at his mercy. “Seriously?” I manage, my voice muffled against his shirt.
“Keep that in mind next time you feel like challenging me,” he grumbles as he adjusts his hold, then carefully pulls my dress down to make sure my backside is covered.
It’s sweet, but his action doesn’t change the fact that I’m still angry at him.
