Page 132 of Savage Ambition

It terrified me more than any physical threat ever could. I could weaponize brutality, but his gentleness demolished every wall I had built.

Each press and retreat of his lips communicated something I’d never experienced before. The shift was so profound I felt dizzy. He wasn’t speaking of war anymore but of what came after. His kiss promised quiet mornings and shared laughter, enjoying a life beyond the brothel walls where we answered to no one. In his touch was a vow that someday we would fuck not just with our bodies but with our souls bared to each other. I wanted it with an ache so profound it hollowed me out.

Renato pulled back to brush his lips across my cheekbone, the corner of my eye, then my temple. His fingertips traced the curve of my jaw with a reverence that criminals like us didn’t deserve.

He pressed his forehead to mine. For the first time since my parents died, I felt completely safe.

I’d built my entire existence around needing no one but Raphael, yet I was silently begging a deadly man not to let me go while holding space in my heart for Shaw. It left me naked in ways that had nothing to do with clothing and everything to do with being truly seen for the first time.

Then Renato slipped through the door, leaving me alone with the ghost of his touch burning on my skin.

I sank back against the counter, too unsteady to support myself.

Five simple words had upended the careful balance of my life.

Five words that made me want to fight to the death with Renato at my side.

“I’ll kill to protect you.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

SHAW

Ishould have known our stolen moments couldn’t last. For three weeks, Dante and I had carved out fragments of time together through study sessions behind my locked bedroom door, hushed conversations between classes, and fingers brushing under library tables. We were careful, but in Salvatore’s world, nothing stayed hidden for long.

On a Wednesday like any other, Trent and I exited our university building, discussing whether to grab food before heading home. I froze at the sight of the black limousine idling at the curb.

Salvatore Gennaro stood beside his car, impeccable in a charcoal three-piece suit. Two bodyguards flanked him, their jackets betraying the heavy contour of firearms. Students gave them a wide berth.

“I’ve been waiting for you, Shaw,” he greeted. His gaze shifted to my cousin. “You must be Trent.”

I stepped between them. “Leave him out of this.”

“Out of what?” Salvatore’s smile never reached his eyes. “I’m simply making conversation.”

Trent pushed past me, squaring his shoulders. “You need to leave.”

I grabbed Trent’s arm, digging my fingers into his bicep. “Trent, go home. Now.”

“I don’t think so,” Trent said, yanking free.

One of Salvatore’s men took a step forward, his hand slipping inside his jacket. Salvatore stopped him with a single gesture.

“Your cousin has quite the mouth on him,” Salvatore commented. “I wonder if that’s a family trait.”

Trent snorted. “And you’ve got quite the entourage for a casual campus visit. What’s wrong? Can’t handle your own shit without backup?”

“Shut up,” I hissed. “You don’t know who you’re talking to.”

“Oh, I know exactly who I’m talking to,” Trent said, staring down Salvatore with defiant stupidity.

“Your cousin and I have business to discuss,” Salvatore said, his voice hardening. “Private business.”

“It’s okay,” I told Trent. “I’ll catch up with you later.”

Trent grabbed my arm, pulling me a few steps away. “Are you fucking insane? That’s the Salvatore Gennaro. People who ‘have business’ with him don’t come back.”

“I know exactly who he is,” I whispered. “And if I don’t talk to him now, things will get a lot worse.”