This is why I calmly turn to Julian Tempesta on the windy tarmac and push my hair out of my face. “Do you mind if we stop at a store? I’m afraid I didn’t bring a litter box for my cat.”
“No problem,” he says without missing a beat. “We’ll make sure you have everything you need.”
I manage to force my lips into a smile. “Thank you.”
Julian gives a signal to his Mafia brutes. They disappear into the SUV, the tinted windows hiding them from view.
“Are we fucking sleeping here or what?” shouts Getty.
Julian throws his brother a look. Getty coughs into his hand and flips it up, extending his middle finger.
“Is it a long drive to the ranch?” I ask Julian.
“No,” he replies. “Eighty miles.”
I nearly laugh and then realize he’s completely serious. To me, eighty miles is pretty freaking far. The rules must be different here.
I tighten my fingers on the strap of my purse and keep my back straight. “Lead the way.”
Julian shakes his head and flashes a quick smile that unleashes chaos on my pulse. “Your first lesson about life with us, Cecilia, is that ladies are always first.”
His palm grazes my lower back. The gesture is both protective and distracting. As he steers me toward the pickup trucks, I sneak a quick glance at his face. In the same instant, he looks down at me.
His hand applies more pressure, flattening across my back and moving in a slow, circular motion that comes across as dominant as it is provocative. I can’t stop the deep tug of arousal low in my belly any more than I can stop my heart from beating.
Even through the haze of unwanted lust, I am very aware this ishisterritory. The Tempesta boys are all grown up but it’s clear Julian remains the crew commander.
In a clash of wills, Julian will win. When backed by his brothers, they are an unstoppable force. I’ll need to keep my wits about me.
And I’d better pick my battles with care.
5
JULIAN
No photo does her justice. Cecilia Grimaldi is gorgeous. Irresistibly fuckable.
Yet there are plenty of women worth fucking in the world and Cecilia’s looks are only one of the reasons why she interests me.
So far, she’s everything I hoped she’d be. Beautiful and polite. Intelligent and rational. I wondered if she’d be too shy, so overwhelmed that she ends up jumping at her own shadow.
Instead, she’s standing her ground. When the boys try to get a rise out of her, she doesn’t take the bait.Good.I’m determined to peel back the layers and see what she’s made of.
Any woman who joins our family can’t be a pushover or she’ll fucking drown here. But I’ll be damned if I’m going to deal with some turbulent wildcat who picks a new fight every hour.
Cecilia just arrived but she gets a lot of credit for striking the right balance from the start. She’s in a tough position. The fact that she’s loyal enough to her twin brother to come here at all says a lot about her character.
In the five days since her name came up in the dining room, I’ve spent some time mulling over what to expect. Whenever I have a few minutes to kill, I find myself staring at my phone screen and studying the picture of her sitting alone.
The photo was taken without her knowledge. There was no chance for her to get self-conscious or rearrange her expression. Her profile is thoughtful and resolute as she sits there primly and scratches out unknown words on paper.
Intrigued enough to know more, I called in a favor from one of the best hackers in the country. He spat back results almost immediately.
Cecilia doesn’t have much of a digital footprint and the accounts she does use have vague, anonymous handles such as ‘The List Queen’. She keeps a low profile and avoids a connection to the Grimaldi name. Still, anyone who is determined to find her wouldn’t have much trouble.
This bothers the shit out of me, how she was all alone in Arizona with no protection. Totally vulnerable if some fucker with a grudge against her family decided to take revenge.
If I have my way, and I do plan on getting my way, Cecilia will never be vulnerable again.
