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“I didn’t tell Troy to back off. I’m telling you to back off.”
“Is that any way to talk to the man of your dreams?”
“More like the man of my nightmares.” She pushed against me, her palms splayed against my chest.
“That’s not what you said last night,” I whispered in her ear, my eyes gazing into hers. We stared at each other for a few moments, and I saw a flitter of emotions in her stare: hurt, anger, remorse, lust, sadness. Her brown eyes were the most expressive I’d ever seen as we looked at each other; I felt like I could fall into her pools of chocolate. She could trap me in her muddy trenches.
“Last night, I didn’t know who I was dealing with.”
“And now you do?”
“Now I know you’re for the streets.”
“I’m for the streets?” I raised an eyebrow. “What exactly does that mean?”
“It means that you’re not worth my time.”
“But Josh and Troy are?” I hissed in annoyance.
She pressed her lips together. “Troy is a man I just met tonight. He offered me something that I thought would be fun and maybe I was—”
“You think drugs are fun?” My hand moved up her throat and clutched her neck. “You think overdoses are exciting?”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. The Mafia boss is going to lecture me on drugs.”
“I’m the underboss right now,” I clarified, and she snorted.
“Oh forgive me, that’s so much better.” She rolled her eyes. “You’re a dog. Scum of the earth. Your entire life is based on illicit dealings and illegal activities. You’re going to talk to me about trying drugs for the first time?”
“With those two bozos? Yes. You barely know the doped-up guy and Josh is hardly man enough to—”
“To lie to me? To trick me? To use me?” She hit me in the chest. “You don’t get to say anything to me, Antonio. Do you think I give a shit about you or trust you? You’d love for me to overdose and die. My dad would be devastated.”
“That’s not true.” I stepped back, letting her move away from me. “I would never want you to die.” I ran my hand through my hair. “Callie, you have to understand… when I embarked on this…” I paused and looked around us. “It had nothing to do with you personally. I didn’t know you. I didn’t think—”
“Don’t try and tell me that you never realized you’d develop feelings for me or some other bullshit.” She threw her head back and laughed hysterically. “That would make me puke. I would literally vomit all over your Italian leather shoes if you pulled out that bullshit.”
“It’s not bullshit.” I was taken aback. That line had been a part of my plan. I blinked at her in surprise. Where had my romantic bookworm gone? Had I literally ruined her in twenty-four hours? The thought depressed me.
“What do you want from me, Antonio?” Her voice cracked.
“I want you to understand,” I said bleakly. “I want you to… I don’t know… forgive me.” I fell to my knees on the pavement and looked up at her. “I want you to just understand what drove me.”
“What does it matter?” She shook her head.
“It matters.” My heart thudded in my chest. “You’ve brought the wolf to his knees, Callie… my little lamb.” I reached up and grabbed her waist and pressed my head against her abdomen. I could feel her heart beating through the gentle swell of her belly. She reached down and played with my hair. A taxi drove past, playing Frank Sinatra’s “Strangers in the Night” loudly, and a frenzy fell over me. “Callie.” I pulled her top up slightly and kissed her stomach. “Why are you doing this to me? You’re driving me crazy,” I muttered quickly. “I want to lock you up and throw away the key so that you can belong to nobody but me.”
“What did you say?” Her eyes narrowed as she looked down at me. Her fingers ran back and forth across my scalp, and I felt her fingernails digging into my skin. “Get up, Antonio.”
“You think I’m a fool?” I jumped up again and pulled her into my arms. “You think you’ve bewitched me?”
“The only person that’s bewitched you is yourself.” She rolled her eyes. “Step aside, Marlon Brando. Antonio Marchesi is here to steal your crown.”
“I love that you compare me to Marlon Brando.” My voice was husky as I pressed my lips to her neck. “Am I the Godfather to you?”
“No, you’re more like Dr. Moreau.” She gasped as my tongue licked her upper lip. “Antonio…” Her eyes were blazing as she gazed at me.
“Tell me you don’t want me. Tell me you’re not turned on right now.”
