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Dario approaches my side and rests his hand on my waist. The simple touch makes me feel so warm and safe. It’s a domestic life—one I never thought I’d have.
“Someone looks like the cat that ate the canary,” he murmurs, pressing his nose to my temple. “Tell me. What did you say?”
I shrug again, then pat his cheek.
The smirk that crosses Dario’s face makes me shiver. “Ok. Keep it to yourself then but know I have ways of getting information out of you.”
Like?I sign.
That, he understands. “Like kissing you until you’re so breathless, you can’t even remember your name. I know then you’ll confess to whatever you’re keeping from me.”
I smile as he nuzzles his face against my neck.
“That’s my cue to leave,” Adelina says, carrying her sandwich with her as she leaves the kitchen.
“Why won’t you tell me what you said?” Dario whispers in my ear. He presses a kiss there, and it makes my entire body tingle.
I’d like to keep some things to myself, you know, I type on the phone and show him.
He wraps his arms around me from behind and reads my message over my shoulder. “Not the open book I pegged you as the first time I met you. Sometimes you’re so easy to read. Other times, I don’t know what’s going on in that brain of yours.”
A lot, I sign.
He chuckles—the sound reverberates into my ear. “Good to know. I’m going to know all your secrets soon, Pia. You won’t be able to keep them from me.” His tone is teasing, but there’s a threat underneath. I know, or at least Ithink, Dario won’t hurt me. But he’s also used to getting whatever he wants, which is a scary thought. As he said, he’ll kiss me so much that I’ll be forced to tell him whatever’s on my mind. Soon, I won’t be able to resist Dario, and when that happens, he’ll own me forever.
I chose to go with Dario and leave my father behind because I was tired of being a prisoner, but what if I traded one prison for another? Dario has a sweetness and charm that makes him irresistible, but he’s still a mob boss—one obsessed with gaining more power. How long will he wait for me to open up to him before he gets tired of me and forces me to open up before I’m ready? Will he ever do that?
The reality is, I may be feeling giddy over Dario, but I still don’t really know him. I know the sweet side of him—the one that rescued me, the one that stands up for me to his family, the one that’s taking the time to learn sign language for me.
But what about the dark side to him? I know he killed a lot of my father’s guards without any hesitation. What if that dark side raises its ugly head, but its sights are set on me?
I can never forget that my mother died in my father’s arms. I know the cruelty that some men can possess.
The question is—does Dario have any of that in him?
“Hey,” he says gently. “You look lost in thought. Where’d you go?”
I blink and turn in his arms to face him. I want him to know I’m trying to trust him. I desperately want to trust him. It’s just tough to give in fully.
I’m still here, I sign.
“What does that mean?”
I point to my chest, praying that he’ll understand without me having to spell it out—literally.
He grabs my hand, encompassing it with his own. “I understand.”
Do you? Because how can anyone truly understand the pain and trauma I went through? I just want to be heard, truly, for the first time in my life. I just hope Dario is the one to listen.
CHAPTER10
Dario
The peace I’ve had with Pia over the past couple of days comes crashing down when I get a message from one of my guys that Tommaso was spotted in my territory. He doesn’t know where I live, but that could change. And if he finds out where I live, he’ll find Pia, and I can’t have that.
I noticed yesterday, after our sign language session, that she seemed distant, and today, she’s been keeping to herself. I want to demand answers from her, but she’s the type to close down when she’s feeling too much pressure. I’m trying to be a better man for her.
The old me would have told her that she couldn’t leave our bedroom unless she told me what was bothering her, but this new me, this version of me that cares for her, doesn’t want to do that. I have no desire to see her locked up in my house for eternity.
