But my traitorous body begins to ache, and the tight space of the car’s interior becomes increasingly uncomfortable.
Beneath me, Rocco sighs. “Let’s go home.”
Home.The word resonates with surprising accuracy. It might have only been a month, yet that’s what the brownstone has become for me.
It’s a quiet ride home, so I try to look out to admire the city lights. But his hand does not leave my thigh, rubbing it so very distractingly with his thumb.
I want to call him out for being so possessive, but it feels sogoodto be driven around by a man who can’t keep his hands off me. In a city that he has in his pocket.
For the first time in a long time, I feel powerful.
His casual touch doesn’t stop when we finally get back to the brownstone. He opens my car door and helps me out of the passenger seat. A hand snakes its way around my waist as we walk up to the front doors.
I savor every second of it, wondering how much I can get away with. My hand reaches up to brush his hair out of his eyes. My fingers trail down the arm that’s around me. There’s so much of him that I haven’t explored yet.
When we reach the top of the staircase, I hesitate for only a moment, glancing at my bedroom door down the hall.
“You seriously think I’m going to let you out of my sight?” Rocco says, already pulling me toward his own bedroom.
“My bedroom is cozier, though,” I tease back.
He huffs a laugh, immediately stripping off his clothing as we enter his room and he drags me toward the bed. “You’re welcome to redecorate.”
“Seriously?”
I follow his lead, removing my gorgeous dress and sliding into bed next to him. His arms immediately encircle me.
“Cas, I will give you whatever your heart desires.”
21
ROCCO
My entire body feels light. It’s as if, for the first time in five years, I’ve actually been able to relax enough to sleep through the night.
I can feel a gentle breeze from the open window, soothing my skin as I stretch. My arms pop in satisfaction.
They reach down to cradle the woman at my side. She’s the reason for this sense of peace that seems to have enveloped me, this woman who has submitted entirely to me, as I have to her.
But my hands find nothing but air.
Finally, I crack my eyes open, only discover the bed beside me is empty.
Ruffled white sheets and her scent are the only things that linger.
“Don’t leave me.”
“I won’t.”
She wouldn’t. Not so soon.
I can feel my heart beginning to pound within my chest as my mind spins into catastrophe.
I knew exhibiting Cassandra on my arm at theCandelabrahad been a risk. Any woman I associate with has a target on their back. But usually, my preemptive measures were enough to keep them safe.
I would send someone to trail after them for a few weeks to ensure they left the city or else help them drop into obscurity with a handsome paycheck. My reputation had ensured the rest. I didn’t care enough about those women for them to warrant my enemy's interest.
Danny was the only one to insist on sticking around, and Alessandro had reported several incidents that had concerned me.
