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As I sit opposite my wife, I wonder what the hell I was thinking. Sure, Erin is gorgeous, and we were attracted to one another. At the time, it made sense because I was fed up with being alone and without a woman to warm my bed. However, I knew my mistake when I saw her daughter. She’s something else. A temptation I don’t need living under my roof. From how my two unmarried sons look at her, they’re tempted, too.
She’s a rare beauty. And I can hardly keep my eyes off her, which is sick on many levels. The main problem is that I’m not the kind of man who gets bogged down over morals and what is right or wrong.
Erin notices my gaze and clears her throat, snapping me from my thoughts. “Remy, is something wrong? You seem… distracted.”
I shake my head, forcing a smile. “No, just thinking about work. You know how it is.”
She nods, but I can tell she doesn’t quite believe me.
Throughout the rest of the meal, I make snide comments directed at Ella and ignore her when possible. She’s only twenty-one and my stepdaughter, for fuck’s sake. But the more I try to push her out of my mind, the more I find myself fantasizing about her.
Mia smiles. “Ella, how are you finding Chicago?”
Ella sinks her teeth into her bottom lip. A move that is entirely innocent but makes my pants uncomfortably tight. “I haven’t had a chance to explore yet.” She shrugs.
Mia shakes her head. “We’ll have to change that. Maybe we can go shopping sometime?”
A genuine and beautiful smile lights Ella’s face. “I’d love that.” While Ella doesn’t strike me as the kind of girl who loves shopping, I sense she craves companionship.
Camilla rolls her eyes. “Good luck to you. The girl can shop for hours.”
Ella looks a little worried. “It would be nice to get out of the house and see Chicago.”
Erin nods. “Yes, no good for you mopping around the house with a book. You’re twenty-one years old, not seventy.”
Ella’s eyes flash with hurt at her mom’s comment.
I clear my throat. “Nothing wrong with reading.” I don’t know where that came from, but I hate myself for coming to Ella’s rescue. Her eyes land on me, wide in surprise. “However, your mom is right. It’s important to get out of the house more. You’re acting like a loner.”
The surprise vanishes as I return to offending her at every opportunity.
Mia clears her throat. “I like reading, just not as much as shopping.”
Camilla laughs. “There’s nothing in this world you like as much as shopping. It’s a surprise you haven’t bankrupted the Callaghans by now.”
Mia glares at her. “Don’t be an idiot. They’ve got billions of dollars.”
“Luckily,” Massimo adds. “I must admit I’ve never met someone who can spend like you, Mia.”
Mia takes Ella’s hand and squeezes. “Can you believe they’re all ganging up on me?”
Ella shakes her head. “No, very mean.”
She smiles widely. “We’re going to get on well, I can tell.”
The joy on Ella’s face is almost enough to undo me entirely. She’s too fucking beautiful. I clear my throat, deciding I need to change the subject. “Shall we have a sensible conversation tonight? We’re here to get to know each other and integrate as a family.”
Camilla scoffs. “What family?”
I glare at my youngest. “Our family. A family you have no loyalty to after you had your thug of a husband rain hellfire down on us. So, don’t question the rest of us. We’re loyal to each other and have always been.”
Camilla’s eyes flash with hurt. “I would do it a thousand times over.”
I’m about to tell her to leave, but Massimo speaks, “Let’s not get into this when meeting our new family members for the first time.”
Erin looks confused as her brow furrows. “Massimo. What interests do you have?”
Massimo glares at her. “I hardly have time for interests when I’m practically running the Morrone empire.”
