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I knew deep in my heart that if anyone ever touched a single hair on her head that I would tear them apart limb by limb.
She belonged with me.
CHAPTER12
Kasia
The sky had just begun to darken by the time we pulled in front of James’ mansion. He led me inside. His brooding silence worried me, and I couldn’t help but throw my arms around his waist in an attempt to close the distance that suddenly had opened a chasm between us.
I peered up at him with a questioning look and his gaze softened.
“What do you want to eat for dinner?”
There was still a slight strain in his voice, and I wanted to chase that away. Most of all, I just wanted to see him smile.
“Do rich guys like you eat pizza?” I asked a bit mischievously, and he chuckled lightly.
“Definitely. I know just the place. I know the owner personally, in fact,” he grinned. Immediately, I sensed a positive change in his demeanor at the mention of his friend.
“What’s his name?” I asked curiously.
“Cyrus Holt,” he replied, pausing for a moment maybe to see if I recognized the name.
I did.
Cyrus Holt was infamously associated with money, power, and highly successful organized crime. He’d been the most powerful man here in New York City for years until he’d faded away after the tragic loss of his first wife and child. I’d heard his name reemerge in recent years, even an ocean away in the country of Poland.
He was still just as much of a powerhouse as he was back then.
“Big time mafia kingpin Cyrus Holt makes pizza,” I said flatly, lifting my eyebrow with disbelief. “Are you just messing with me now?”
He laughed much harder. “No. I’m totally serious. He owns his own Italian restaurant. It’s one of the best I’ve ever tasted, almost like you stepped right into a villa in Italy right here in the middle of the city.”
“I just… he could do anything he wanted with the kind of power he wields. Why a pizza restaurant?”
“He wanted a break from that life,” James murmured, pulling me in close against his chest.
“Even now?” I asked.
“It’s a special place for him and his wife, Ava. It’s where they first met,” he smiled softly, his expression now reminiscent. “Let me put the order in. We’ll eat together and then I’ll run you a bath,” he continued.
I blushed at the thought of that.
He led me into the sitting room off the front entryway and pulled me into his lap, then reached into his pocket. He took out his phone and dialed, pressing it to his ear as it rang. My mouth watered in anticipation as he ordered a margherita pizza, a pepperoni, and an Italian lover’s pie. He added an antipasto and an order of freshly baked garlic bread as well.
Just when I was about to protest that it was too much food, he pressed a single finger over my lips and shook his head.
“I like options,” he smirked, and I giggled lightly in his lap.
In no time at all, there was a knock on the door and the butler went to answer it. A pile of boxes and a bag of food were brought in, and James insisted on carrying me to the romantic little alcove we had dined in the other day. He had just put me down in the seat when the serving staff flew into the room with platters of food as if we had sat down in the restaurant itself.
My mouth gaped at the still steaming food. A bit shyly, I glanced up at him and then back down to the pizza. The basil leaves on the margherita pie were bright green and incredibly fresh but it was the aroma of the melted mozzarella and homemade tomato sauce that really captured my attention.
James barely lifted a finger and the server immediately jumped, slipping two large slices of margherita pizza onto my plate at once. Another poured a glass of wine for both of us. With another wave of James’ hand, the staff left the room, and we were all alone.
“Take a bite, angel,” he instructed.
Feeling a bit bashful, I dipped my head and picked up the slice of pizza. I blew on it first, before I opened my mouth and had my first taste. It was so delicious that I couldn’t even speak. All I could do was moan.
