Page 68 of John + Siena: The Complete Duet

Respect, and all.

“I think we all assumed it would be you moving up in the family when it came time—as I mentioned at the restaurant. You are the oldest, and your father is a very well respected made man. The longtime underboss to Dante Marcello—one of the most feared bosses in North America. And your other uncle—Giovanni—acting as a consigliere. That was the kind of structure and influence you grew up in. It just made sense for it to be you.”

John didn’t blink. “Andino grew up with those same people, and those same influences.”

“So he did, I suppose.” Matteo sighed, and looked to his left out the window at the dark sky. “But it’s still a little odd that you haven’t been given more control, John. A shame really. I don’t think your potential is being put to work at its fullest. Not by a long shot.”

“Maybe not, but it is what it is,” John returned.

Matteo’s lips curved at the corner. “So it seems, doesn’t it?”

John chose not to answer that time.

John had his back turned to the entrance hallway as he shrugged on his jacket. He didn’t see Siena coming for him until she had grabbed his jacket, and yanked him into the mudroom with her. She slammed the door shut behind them as he righted himself.

“What the hell, woman?” John asked.

Siena folded her arms over her chest, and refused to look him in the eye. “Why, John? Why couldn’t you have just woke me up that morning? Knocked on my fucking forehead or something to make me wake up and say you had to run. You didn’t even try to contact me after, and then out of the blue, you’re here again like it’s fine. It’s not fine!”

John’s brow lifted. “Are you usually this back and forth with your emotions? It’s a little concerning, Siena.”

She glared.

He shrugged.

“I thought …” She pressed her lips tightly together, as though she was refusing to say whatever had come to her mind.

“What?”

“That maybe you weren’t like every other guy that tries to get me in bed, John. It turned out that you were exactly like every other guy.”

John did stand a little bit straighter at that comment. “First, I was interested in you—still am. Second, shit came up, and I had to bolt. After that day, more things kept coming up that I had to deal with. I wasn’t supposed to be getting romantically involved with somebody anyway, and I figured after I left you without fuck all the first time, you probably didn’t want to see me again.”

“You were right about that.”

Her posture screamed defensive.

Her eyes shouted pain.

She was still lying.

“I don’t want to be somebody’s plaything,” she told him quietly.

John nodded. “I don’t want somebody to fuck with my emotions. So hey, I won’t treat you like a toy, and you try not to give me whiplash with this kind of nonsense. It’s a two-way street.”

Siena still wouldn’t meet his eyes when she said, “I don’t know what to feel.”

“Welcome to my world.”

He felt like that all the time.

Either he had too many feelings.

Or he had none at all.

There was no in between.

Siena’s tongue peeked out to wet her lips. “I want to give you a chance to apologize.”