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“Turn around,” he said gruffly. I did as he asked. “Lift your hair.”
I dutifully lifted my hair and tried not to make a sound as he stepped even closer. I wanted to lean back into the warm masculine scent of him. I nearly groaned as he reached around me, placing the necklace on my chest, then dragging his fingers lightly around my throat, under my ears, to meet in the back of my neck.
His breath fanned the little hairs on my nape, and around my ears. I nearly melted into the floor. How was he doing this to me? He barely touched me and I felt like I wanted to lay down and beg him to make love to me.
To kiss me again.
To do whatever he wanted to do with me.
Because he did want me. I’d been lying to myself about it for too long. He might have a dozen sophisticated city women in rotation. He might just be curious about the silly little provincial girl. He might just try to bed every moderately attractive woman he came in contact with.
He was a hard man. A cruel one, even. Domineering. A criminal, even in his fancy clothes. Maybe even a violent one.
All that might be true. All of that most likely was true. But it didn’t matter. None of it did.
I wanted Michael Margarelli anyway.
Chapter Nineteen
Michael
“I understand everything now,” Luciano said with a laugh as he handed Theresa a glass of wine, then poured one for me. “You poor bastard.”
“Poor?” Terri asked, looking alarmed.
“It’s merely an expression,” I said calmly, giving Luciano a dark look. The drive over had been hellish. I had taken my own car, a newly restored Aston Martin, and there was not a lot of room between the two front seats. In fact, there wasn’t much room to maneuver around in there at all.
I cursed my choice. If I got my chance with Terri tonight, there would be no way to actually get anywhere. I usually planned ahead better than that.
The little minx had my head in the goddamn stars when all I wanted was to get into her bed.
“Watch it,” I added as he gave Terri an assessing once over. He held up his hands and laughed at me.
“I meant no harm, I assure you. I was merely commiserating. How long have you been in America, Theresa?” He asked, smoothly transitioning. He had taken over for my cousin-in-law, Felicia, when she married Vincent and left the country. They were happily ensconced in the Italian countryside now, raiding babies and wine along with Tony and his bride.
Everyone was settled.
Everyone but me.
Suddenly, it sounded fucking amazing. Having that stability. That future. That family.
But only if I could do it with her.
Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck.
I sat there, drinking wine, and watching Luciano charm Theresa. But something unexpected happened. Unexpected by him, but something I could have easily predicted.
Theresa ended up charming him. It was effortless. He looked somewhat stupefied by the time we actually sat down to dinner.
“You are so fucked,” he muttered to me as I passed him. I just shook my head and gave him a look that said ‘I know’. And I did know.
I was doomed. Smitten. Smote, as they would say in biblical times. And the worst part was, all my tactical plans were completely useless. She wasn’t fooled by my machinations. She wasn’t impressed by my money, or my power. She had grown up in the business. She wanted more out of life than what the mafia could bring her.
I respected that, as much as it made my life harder. How the fuck was I going to win her over, if I couldn’t use any goddamn thing about me? I’d never had to do more than breath to get a woman.
And now? I couldn’t think of one goddamn thing that I could do to to make Theresa like me, let alone love me.
Again, fuck. Again, fuck fuck fuck.
Unless I was willing to change. Unless I was willing to bend. To let down my guard. It all clicked into place. I could still be dominant with her. I could still take charge and guide the pace of the relationship, especially in bed. But she needed to see who I was deep down. I needed to trust her, so that she would feel safe trusting me.
“She is spectacular. You are so fucked,” Luciano chuckled when Terri excused herself to use the ladies room. “I gather you haven’t gotten anywhere with her.”
I glared at him before taking a deep drink of my wine.
“I need to change tactics.”
“Yes?”
“Ask me about my family when she gets back.”
He raised his eyebrows.
“What specifically?”
“Ask me how they are. I’ll take it from there.”
“Playing on her heart strings?” He said with a gleam in his eye. “That’s dastardly. I like it.”
I toasted him as Terri walked back into the room, looking like a breath of fresh air. It was always like that. The moment I saw her, everything shifted. Colors were brighter. The food tastier. Even the air seemed cleaner, brimming with electricity.
