Page 103 of Unravel Me

His thumb brushes the corner of my mouth and the tip of my chin, then drifts lightly down to my Adam's apple, while his index finger, with the same impossibly gentle touch, strokes the edge of my nape gland, visible above the collar of my shirt.

My breathing quickens immediately. Almost instinctively, I tilt my head to the side, wanting this, wanting him to do more, wanting to feel that shiver. My blood pressure and pulse both climb.

Mauro takes the final half-step toward me, closing the distance until our stomachs and lower abdomens lightly bump against each other.

I tilt my head farther to the side, giving him a clear signal of what I want, because I desperately need more of that tingling, magical touch on my gland, a place that has rarely been touched because it's deeply intimate and part of the sexual language between people who are very close. For some reason, I want Mauro to follow that impulse, to walk that delicate line between intimacy, tenderness, and a sweet caress.

It was… what the fae gave me.

He seems to understand it, leans toward me unhurriedly; his scent and warm energy surround me. I feel the soft touch of his lips as he presses a kiss to my gland, and I gasp because the sensation shoots through me with such a powerful shiver that my fingers instinctively tighten around his elbows.

His skin burns beneath my touch, my hand slides down to his… tattoo, tracing the letters, and I feel the faintest, barely perceptible tension in his forearm.

Mauro lifts his head, and our eyes meet.

His pupils are dilated.

"Is this about me?" I whisper.

"Are you two coming? Dinner's about to start!" Veyron says casually from the doorway.

I sigh. Fate seems determined to interrupt me at the most interesting moments.

As we leave, my eyes drift toward Mauro’s tattoo one more time.

Secrets, secrets. They have to come to an end, because I simply can't take this much longer. Period.

CHAPTER 21: MAURO

3 months ago

I stand there, staring at the rectangle of grass beside the tall tree where my little forest home will eventually be built.

It's beautiful here, almost enchanting.

I chose this spot because of how close it is to the hot springs. The natural geothermal energy will let me heat the house and provide hot water, while the windy hill nearby will be perfect for building a specialized low-speed vertical-axis wind turbine designed to prevent bird collisions.

Of course, Renato has offered to let me stay with him at his estate, but I shouldn't be there too often. I broke the most sacred rule of the mafia. I walked away from it, and I did it on the very day it was at its weakest.

The day my capo uncle, Anzo Ferro, was arrested.

Turning my back on the family when they needed me most means…

Betrayal.

Rocco, Luca, and Ennio stayed behind.

Rocco has almost certainly become the new capo by now. And I'm absolutely certain he'll show up here any day now. He will never forgive, never forget, that’s just how he is.

I walk slowly around the square, already imagining how difficult it'll be to get building materials out here. But if Renato and I put our backs into it, we could probably even carry some of it here ourselves.

We have our ways.

Part of me feels hopeful about the future, but another part dreads it.

Will I make it?

Will I be able to build my life here?