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Tony leads Luca and Stella to a black Town Car parked behind the Lambo.Maybe I’ll take that bad boy for a spin while he’s gone. I toss aside the errant thought as my gaze trails after them for a long moment. Whispers and quiet laughter pass between the pair. Again, an odd sensation tightens my chest.
Feng was right; love has made my brother soft.
And now it is my turn to return the Kings to their glory.
CHAPTER5
BE GOOD
Rose
Gawd, I hate Mondays.
My nose twitches, and I spin my head away from the armpit of a man crammed beside me on the subway.Bleh. It’s Christmas break, but Dr. Winchester insists we remain open for the few days leading up to the holidays. Apparently, it’s the time of the year when our patients need us the most. Figures a happy little fat man in a red suit bringing presents to kids would coincide with depression and psychotic breaks being at their all-time peaks. Which means I’m stuck underground heading to the Upper East Side when I should be enjoying my well-deserved time-off from classes.
Who am I kidding? I don’t have time for a break, even from a barely paid internship. At least the occasional twenties Dr. Winchester slips me for coffee helps. Unlike my bestie with an uber-rich fiancé, I have to pay my way through NYU.
My thoughts flicker back to Friday night and those devilish fingers dancing across my center. Fucking Dante. I still can’t believe that asshole just walked out on me like that. I was so close…. And as much as I hated to admit it, a part of me knew he was right. If we’d screwed, he would have ruined me for any other man.
There was something about him that had my insides in a tangle of chaos.
Maybe I read something hidden in his eyes, something beyond that smart mouth and wicked tongue that I was desperately familiar with.
The subway grinds to a halt, and I barely get my hand around the metal pole fast enough. My nose is about an inch away from Mr. I Need Better Deodorant before I stop the forward momentum of my body.
The doors glide open, and I race out of there, holding my breath until I reach the light of the East 79thStreet exit. A blast of icy air cools my face and I exhale, blowing out the stale oxygen of the underground and drawing in the winter chill.
I head up the block toward Dr. Winchester’s practice, the elegant townhouses and pre-war apartment buildings lining the impeccably maintained sidewalks. The tree-lined avenues provide shade and a sense of tranquility, contrasting with the bustling city I left just blocks away. The sharp sound of Taylor Swift’s latest song blasts from my phone. Scanning the screen, I let out a happy squeal. Stella. Finally! “Where have you been, girl?”
“Well, actually, Luca surprised me with a last-minute trip.”
“Where?” I squeak.
“Um, this is going to sound really weird, but I can’t tell you.”
I freeze in my tracks and stare at the phone like it could somehow deliver my glare directly to my best friend. “Excuse me?”
She sighs, her tone suddenly weary and exhausted. “It’s about Luca’s business. It’s probably for the best you don’t know the specifics. No one knows where we are, not even Dante.”
“Shiiit.”
“Yeah.”
“How long are you going to be gone for?”
“I don’t know yet, but I’ll keep you posted.” She releases another frustrated breath. “I mean it’s not that awful here in all honesty. I just don’t like leaving you by yourself with that guy still screwing with you.”
“Please, don’t worry about me. Dr. Mark is old news. Honestly, he started backing off ever since that night Dante scared the shit out of him over the phone.” An unexpected laugh bubbles out.No, you do not find the dickhead amusing. He walked out on you with your panties around your ankles, remember? Awesome, now I’m talking to myself.
“Good.” Stella’s voice drags me back to the present. “Promise me you’ll go to Dante if he pops up again.”
“I promise,” I groan.
“And I’m sorry I didn’t get to say goodbye to you the other night. Where’d you run off to anyway?”
Heat surges down below my bellybutton as Dante’s hot mouth ghosts over mine. Then a wave of guilt splashes over the brewing lusty tornado. I’d also promised my friend to stay far away from her fiancé’s brother months ago.Bad, Rose!
“Rose?”
