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"Not anymore."
Shit. He's dead. "I'm sorry."
"Me too."
"Were you close?"
"When we were kids." She wraps her arms around herself. "But not for a long time."
"You still miss him."
Moisture pools in her beautiful brown eyes. "Yes."
Shit. Fuck. Damn. "Don't cry."
She blinks furiously and turns her head away. "I'm not."
That is worse. Dealing with her tears has me tied in knots, but having her turn away so I won't see them? That is fucking excruciating. Any other woman and I'd be glad for it, but not Lucia.
I cup her cheek and turn her face back toward me, brushing at the wetness trickling from the corner of her eye with my thumb. "Cry if you want, but don't turn away from me."
"Why not?" She sounds genuinely confused.
"I don't like it."
"Most men would be relieved."
"I am not them."
Lucia gives me an assessing look. "When I turned my face to hide my emotions, did that make you feel excluded?"
A pit yawns before me. I'm not a fool. I know the parallel she's drawing for me.
"I will try not to speak in Greek around you."
"It's not speaking in Greek that bothers me, it's you having whole discussions that exclude me."
"My family and I are used to talking about business in Greek,ílios mou."
"I like when you call me your sun. Sweetheart is more generic. Why did you start using it at the bar?"
She noticed? Of course, she did. Lucia is as observant as I am.
"It seemed appropriate." For reasons of expediency and hiding my identity as a Greek man from the bratva.
I am not ready for them to know who I am. They will soon enough. They'll be aware exactly who they set themselves against. Right before Dímios wipes them out.
"Well, I likeílios moubetter." She pronouncesmy sunwith a perfect accent.
I smile. "I will remember that,eromenis mou."
"What does that mean?" she asks breathily. "Only you said it with that tone you usually use when we're making love."
"It meansmy lover."
Her eyes soften and small puff of air gusts out between her lips. "Oh. I like that too."
"Sometimes I will talk business in Greek. It is not meant to hurt you."
