“No,” I say, passing her my glass of whiskey.
Maybe I have a slight problem. I’ve been known to fly to Kentucky to bet on the horse races.
She gulps the whiskey, then passes the glass back. “If you’re not careful, Nico, you’ll lose your fortune.”
I caress the small of her back. “I’ll slow down on the betting.”
She doesn’t say a word. Serenity keeps entering data. I pick up my food container and dig into the pasta dish. Serenity’s fork makes its way into mine. It always does.
She smiles as she chews the pasta.
“The carbonara is so good.” Her eyes cross as she chews.
I chuckle before taking another bite. “Nothing like great Italian pasta dishes.”
“True.”
We fall into a comfortable silence. Me eating and watching sports highlights, and Serenity eating and entering data.
“I’m done,” she says twenty minutes later.
I take the laptop from her and glance over the spreadsheet. “Looks good.”
“Obviously.” She snatches the second glass of whiskey from my hand and takes a slow sip.
“Tell me everything you know.” She leans back on the sofa, crossing her legs with ease.
“You caught the employee pilfering from your family’s business. But now she’s vanished.” I shoot her a smug grin.
“I found her.”
Serenity’s gray eyes widen. “You did?”
“Yup, she’s at one of my warehouses tied up with a nice big bow.”
She stretches a leg across my lap. “That’s great news. I didn’t know you were listening when I told you about my problem.”
Even though Serenity and I hadn’t seen each other in a year, we stayed connected through calls and messages. In the mafia underworld, staying informed about any issues is crucial. Never know how someone could be of service.
“Yeah, well, I spoke to a manager at your company. Told him I needed him to be my eyes and ears. He took it a step further and followed her. She didn’t suspect he was looking to cause her harm. Worked in my favor.”
“Thank you.” She grins.
I pull her onto my lap. My tongue dances across her neck. “It was hard being away from you, Serenity,” I admit.
“Nico, I think you’ve confessed enough tonight,” she pants.
My hand slips under her t-shirt, and I curl a hand around a globe.
I sink my teeth into her lower lip. “You’ve always been mine.”
Lifting her shirt, I capture a brown nipple between my lips. Slowly, my tongue traces a path down her soft stomach.
“Nico, stop talking,” she moans.
I pull her t-shirt off in one swift move, then rise and lead her to the bed. My finger strokes her cheek as I hold her eyes briefly before I drop her onto the mattress.
“Tell me you’re mine,” I command, sliding her yoga pants and panties down her legs.
