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“So you mean to tell me I have most of the day to explore the Tuscan countryside and this farmhouse, eat yummy food, and take a nap with Emmy?” Dani says, shaking her head. “How dare you.”
I lean in and kiss her, a brief brush of my lips across hers that makes my heart clench. “I don’t want to leave you,” I whisper. “But yeah, baby. Enjoy your stay. I’ll be back tonight.” I kiss her cheek. “Behave yourself while I’m gone.”
I get ready. I wish I could stay home. But at least they're here, safe and sound, and she'll be here to greet me when I get back.
“Ricco, someone’s at the door,” Dani says as I start to leave. I pause to look through the glass side panels that frame either side of the heavy wooden door.
“Appears to be beggars,” I mutter. Passing through, most likely, as the locals would never approach a Montavio family home to beg.
Dani’s gaze challenges me. "And what are you going to do about that?"
This is another test. Goddamn it, everywhere I turn, someone's testing me.
I turn to her with my hands on my hips, not sure how to respond. "I'm going to work, and I don't know them. My security team’s going to run them off anyway. I was going to tell them to leave.” When she frowns, I sigh. “What would you have me do?"
"See what they need, of course," she says. "It takes a lot of courage to go to somebody's front door to ask for things."
"Interesting."
I look again. One of them is an older man, missing a few front teeth. His clothes are ragged, but he has a young boy with him.
I open the door. "I'm sorry, sir," the little boy says. "We didn't know who you were. We'll leave right now." They turn to leave, and I notice the old man's eyes are focused on my forearm, on my Montavio Brotherhood tattoo. He knows we're mafia.
"No, it’s fine," Dani says in Italian.
I turn to give her a funny look. "Since when do you know Italian?" I ask her in a whisper.
She holds up her phone. "Ah, since Google Translate helped me. It's remarkably clever." She turns back to them. “Can we help you?”
The very thrust of her chin and her hands on her hips defy me to make these people leave. I gotta hand it to her—she's got spunk.
"Just some food," the boy says nervously. "My mother is sick and hasn't been able to work. My grandfather's been sick too, since he came to live with us."
"Of course. Stay right there." Dani turns and walks right past me, as if I wasn't even there. I hear her rustling through the kitchen, and a minute later, she comes back with a bag filled with food. "Here," she says. "We have more than we need."
I reach for my wallet and take out some cash. "Here." The boy's eyes go wide when he sees the amount of money. It means nothing to me, but I feel like an asshole not helping, not when Dani's practically giving them the clothes off her back.
"Thank you. Thank you." They back away, and I give them a look that tells them that now it's time to go.
When they're gone, and the kids are in the backyard playing with Penny, I turn to face Dani.
"That was very noble of you and everything, but nobody comes to this door when I'm not home. Do you understand me? My security team’s been instructed. No helping beggars or whatever the fuck. That was a one-time exception, Daniella.”
She gives me a teasing little grin and captures her lips between her teeth. "Or what?" she asks. God, this girl's got too much spunk.
"You know exactly what. Don't test me, woman."
"Okay, fine. I'll hang out with Penny and the kids while you go do your manly mobster things. And I won't have any fun, or let anybody in, or go anywhere. Okay?"
Her eyes dance at me though. And I know that she's going to find plenty of ways to entertain herself.
"There's a pool out back."
“I saw!” She grins. "It's gorgeous! Does the hammock work? And those speakers, do you guys have parties here or something?"
“We do, especially by the barn in the summer.”
"Oh," she says with a grin. "I forgot about that part." She gives me one of those looks that makes my heart pound. "The barn, the one that is far away from the kids and Penny.” Twisting a lock of her hair, she smiles at me. “Exactly when do you have to leave?"
I don’t need to be asked twice.
Ten minutes later, I’m laying her down in a bed of hay, meeting be fucked. I nuzzle my face in her gorgeous hair and worship her breasts with my mouth and hands until she’s moaning and her nipples bud into hard little peaks. I lick them, one at a time, and she reaches for my belt.
