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"Thesomething elseyou're talking about is called being realistic. Pessimists like you get all kinds of health problems related to stress. Gastrointestinal diseases are among those, so watch your back. Or rather, your butt, I guess."
I really like making him laugh, and he seems to be a thousand times more relaxed than he usually is, holding me close to him as he is now. His inky dark hair falls slightly over his forehead, and he keeps pressing light kisses to my shoulder, neck, cheek, and upper back. It's mesmerizing.
After long moments of comfortable silence following our explosion of desire, Domenic runs his fingers through my hair and whispers, "Tell me something. What got you into hacking slot machines?"
I feel myself shutting down, my guard coming back up immediately, even as I grow sleepy in his arms.
"You want to ruin my afterglow by asking about the mistakes in my past, huh?" I ask softly. "I'm ashamed of things I've done, Domenic. I don't like talking about it."
He's quiet for a moment.
"Okay. I understand that" he finally murmurs. "I've done things I'm not proud of, too."
I'll just bet he has. As fucking scary as the Wild Seven can be, they have sizeable competition in the Caputo family. As the heir to that legion of organized crime, I know the man I'm cuddled up against has had a dangerous, likely violent past.
That doesn't mean I want to tell him all about mine, though. I have a lot of secrets to keep from him in that department—and at the very top of that list is the sweet little toddler my mother is watching right now. Before leaving the casino, I'd sent her a text letting her know I'd get home late tonight. Now that Domenic is bringing up the past, this might be the best time to bounce because I'm not ready to breathe a word about Evelyn to him.
Because as much as I want him and as safe as I feel in his arms right now, Domenic Caputo is a powerful, dangerous man. The kind of man who could take Evie away from me permanently because he can easily afford to give her everything I'm working so hard to try and earn for her.
I can't let that happen.
"I should go," I whisper.
But he pulls me closer, keeping me right there. I'm surprised by the vulnerability in his whisper against my skin.
"Wait—stay. Loren, I just..." He presses his face into my neck. "I just need tonight with you. Please."
It feels so damn good to be held like this by him. It's exactly what I've fantasized about for three difficult years and ever since he hired me. Is it so wrong to give in for just one night?
I already learned the answer to that when I lost so much three years ago in this same situation. Still, I don't move from this perfect place, and soon, Domenic's breathing steadies behind me, with me still tucked closely against him. Like he's protecting me even in his sleep.
I let myself drift off not far after him, content for the first time in a long time.
Chapter 10
Domenic
The buzzing of Loren's cell phone wakes me. She's still deeply asleep beside me in the dim early morning light, her blond hair wreathing her head and her beautiful bare body against mine.
She's so gorgeous. And I don't doubt she needs her rest after I woke her up again during the night, desperate to be in her because the deeper intimacy of sleeping so peacefully beside her turned me the fuck on.
Careful not to wake the beautiful woman beside me, I grab her phone from the nightstand to glance at the screen, trying to gauge if it's important enough to wake her.
The image on it is a middle-aged woman with short blond hair and a crinkled smile. She looks enough like my cherry blossom that I recognize her as Loren's mother.
She begins calling again. I sigh and kiss Loren's shoulder, smoothing her hair away from her face.
"Il mio fiore di ciliegio?”I whisper.
"The fuck are you saying? That's not English, is it? Am I just that out of it?" She yawns and stretches, giving me a mouthwatering view of her curves under the thin sheet as she does.
I smile. "It's Italian for cherry blossom."
Mycherry blossom, to be precise.
She peers at me, adorably groggy and confused. "Why are you waking me up to talk about cherry blossoms? It's not bright enough outside for it to be time to get to work."
I hand her the phone while stealing another kiss, far too pleased by how it feels to wake up beside Loren. It's something I could happily get used to. Something about this sassy, bright-spirited woman soothes my worst days and stress in a way I've never experienced before.
