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“Clean this mess up.” Releasing him, Dante ticks his head at the body. “You know who this guy is?”
Aldo shakes his head. “No idea. Never seen the man before.”
“He works for Gemini Corp or something,” I blurt.
“What?” Dante’s dark gaze pivots in my direction.
“I heard them talking before Feng killed him.”
“Merda,” he snarls. “Tell me everything exactly as you heard it.”
“Sure.” I hug my arms around myself. There’s something in Dante’s expression that has every hair on my body standing on end. It’s not anger or fury or even annoyance. It’s worse, much worse. Fear.
* * *
I flip the small silver star around in my palm and eye the highest branch of my scraggly little tree. I don’t even need to stand on my tiptoes to reach it. There’s no way I was letting that unexpected encounter with the Triad ruin my Christmas. When we got back to Dante’s apartment, he disappeared into his study, and I got to work on the tree. The poor little thing lost half of its needles in the town car on the way home.
I offered to clean the trunk, but Dante insisted Aldo would do it. Part of his punishment for his untimely hot dog break. I wish I could say I didn’t find Dante’s crazy protectiveness insanely attractive, but it would be an outright lie. The way he threatened Aldo had my blood pumping and heat rushing between my legs.
Speak of the devil….
Dante stalks into the living room, eyes my sad little tree and shakes his head. Ignoring him, I clip the star onto the tallest branch. And the limb sags.
Dante’s broad chest bounces with the force of his laughter. “Great pick, sweetheart.”
“Oh, just shut up.” I lift the sagging branch and clip three limp limbs together to hold up the star. “There.” The glittering star barely hangs on, the remaining branches droop and most of the ornaments look like they’re about a second away from hitting the floor, but I did it. My little tree is up.
Dante stands just behind me, the heat from his body searing into my back. “I ordered Chinese food for dinner. I wasn’t exactly expecting company.”
“You actually cook?” I twist my head over my shoulder to cast a shocked gaze at the big brute.
“I’m an excellent cook, actually. Maybe one day I’ll show you, if you’re a good girl.” He smirks, then his dark gaze latches onto my little tree. “I’m scared if we turn on the lights it’ll set the damn scrawny thing on fire.”
“Just do it.” I tick my head at the plug which lies only a few inches from the outlet on the wall.
“You’re going to be severely punished if this burns down my apartment,” he whispers against the shell of my ear. A feral grin parts his lips, and heat races to my core. Visions of his palm on my ass flash across my mind, and a tremor surges up my spine.
“Stop being so dramatic,” I finally force out once I’ve banished the heated memories. There will be no more of that any time soon. “Now, stick it in.”
“Mmm, Rose, I thought you’d never ask.” He looms closer, pressing his front flush against my back, and I can already feel him thick and erect against me. A dangerous glimmer sparks in his eyes.
I jab my elbow into his rock-hard abs and regret it immediately as I nail my funny bone, sending electric tingles up and down my arm.
He moves away only long enough to plug in the lights, then returns to loom over me. The brilliant, twinkling lights illuminate the apartment in a golden glow and warmth floods my chest. From the corner of my eye, I catch a smile curling the corner of Dante’s lips.
And for once, it’s not a smirk, or a sneer, but a genuine smile, and God, it takes my breath away.
“It’s beautiful,” he murmurs.
I couldn’t agree more.
CHAPTER23
MAN BUN
Dante
Stop watching her sleep, youcoglione. I pace the living room, the first rays of sun coming up over the park, and I’m not sure which is more beautiful, the deep oranges of the sunrise or the woman stretched across my couch.
