Page 27 of Claiming the Mafia Queen

“Well, that ship’s sailed,” I laugh, busying myself with the rim of my glass. Fiddling with it.

I whirl to face him, feeling his gaze bear into me.

There’s fire in his eyes.

“You owe me..” I whisper slowly, trying to break the intensity of the gaze. “I’ve introduced you to your new favorite whiskey…”

“It is pretty good…but we haven’t really talked about something…”

“What’s that?” I quirk.

“So you had a real shit date…” He rubs the bridge of his nose. “Do you think that’s just another price to pay for our lonely dispositions?" A smile. A sip. “Just a plethora of shit dates?”

"Being a hermit wasn’t so bad. Plenty of time for myself. Not having to worry about anyone but myself…”

He nods. “I can see that…” He stands up and offers his hand to me. I take it and together we walk out the door and down the sidewalk.

“So what aboutyourlove life?” I ask, nudging him as we walk. “You saidourlonely dispositions…”

"It's…complicated," he replies, clearly fighting some sort of urge to delve deeper.

I nod, pretty content with his answer. He seems like the type that would be complicated.

His eyes betray him. I’m not even sure anyone else would have seen it. His cards were usually closer to his chest than this. His eyes, though, they twinkle. There’s a smile that crosses his face and he lets out a soft chuckle.

“Why do I believe you only attract compliments?”

“Because I do…”

I nod and finish off the rest of my glass. I peer at it for a moment before I smile back at him. There was a familiarity I hadn’t noticed about him until tonight. Something that sort of drew me to him — almost relentlessly.

I like him.

There’s something about him.

A spunk.

A fire.

I like him.

Maybe even a little attracted to him.

But he’s the help.

I can’t do anything to jeopardize that.

“I hope you have a good night…” An illicit shudder rolls across my body as soon as his breath tickles my ear.

“You, too…”

Chapter 8

Tony

“Youain’tnothinbuta two-bit whore playing pretend gangster!” I hear a man bellow out from the next room. His words are slurred. Drunken.

She laughs.

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