AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He shoots me another of the said devil smirks, and I clench my hands in my lap to resist the urge to smack him. Maybe my hands just want to adjust the wave of hair falling over his temple. Either way, I retain control and look away like this conversation has become boring.
My bestie picks up on my charade immediately, and I see her arch a brow before smiling at Roberto. "Call me Mandi. I was actually just about to head out and get back to work, so please excuse me—but Giuliadidtell me about you, and I have to say, we should all get together sometime. Maybe for more coffee and waffles, or like, you know…a group date. Who knows?"
My mouth drops open a little before I scowl at Mandi, who snickers, grabs her purse, and bolts with an impish goodbye.
I can see right through her. She's leaving me here with him alone on purpose. Mandi knows just how bad the feud between our families is, but she's a hopeless romantic who thinks we could possibly overlook all that bloodshed and get to know each other.
And maybe in some distant, perfect world, I'd be interested—but this is a Giovanni, and we're just working together for a mutually beneficial arrangement. Without the truce, we'd probably be trying to kill each other.
I can see right through Roberto as I swivel to glare at him more forcefully. He clearly knew I was out with a friend and wanted to swing by to cause problems for me, being a prick and all.
"You're unbelievable," I inform him.
He leans his elbow on the table and rests his chin in his hand, giving me far too much attention while looking entirely too boyish for a mafioso who is anythingbutchildish.
"I take it you said something about me being 'chiseled by Michelangelo?'" he asks, obviously pleased by that. "Very true, I must say—but how else would you describe me? Besides probably saying I'm tall, sexy, fun, a great kisser..." He winks.
I fold my arms. "Actually, I'd probably shorten it and say you're afastidioso fottuto stronzo."
In other words, anannoying fucking asshole.
Roberto's cocoa-colored eyes heat. He half-groans, half-murmurs, "God. I was wrong. I Don’t just like hearing swear words from your pretty mouth—I fuckingloveit, Giulia."
Great. Now I can't even curse him out with satisfaction. I'd love to storm out of this restaurant in a dramatic exit, but appearances are big in my family, and I settle for chewing out thisfastidioso fottuto stronzo.
"You might have permission from my family to be here in California for theVitalendeal, but Don’t tempt fate by walking around San Francisco and poking your inflated-ego head everywhere it doesn't belong. I keep myself on a tight leash, but other Russos might decide to—"
My words are cut off when Roberto leans forward and molds his lips against mine, stealing a full, lingering kiss. Everything in my brain scatters as heat floods me. On instinct, one of my hands escapes my lap and moves to his chest—not to push him away, but to rest against the solid muscles there.
I blink at him in stunned befuddlement when he pulls back to smile again, slow and sexy.
"Don’t you worry about me, cutie. I can handle your family members. In the meantime…." His voice lowers to a whisper. "I'd really like to see your tight leash snap."
Chapter 10
Roberto
Giulia'shoodedemeraldeyesstay on my lips as I speak, and it's really fucking difficult not to lean forward and kiss her more deeply. I'd fully expected her to slap me for interrupting her like that, but now there's a slight furrow between her eyebrows that I'm tempted to reach out and smooth away.
The way she's focused on my mouth, though—and the subtle way her thighs squeeze together…
Fuck, I like knowing that I affect her. The curls of her soft hair are begging to be wound around my fingers, and today, she's in a pale pink ruffle-top dress that shows off much of Giulia's sexy back, which had my full attention earlier as I'd approached her and her friend at lunch.
Apparently, showing up unexpectedly in front of her friend was the right way to get her attention because it took another second before she blinked back, met my gaze, and narrowed her eyes.
"Don’t you worry about my leash, Dickhead," she echoes me, frosting over by the second as she straightens and tosses her hair over one shoulder. "And I meant what I said about Russos possibly not honoring the ceasefire. Not everyone in my family knows about theVitalendeal, and we wouldn't want you getting beaten to a pulp in the street."
"We wouldn't?" I raise my brows. "You're not going to pretend to be all for it, huh? Seems like you're warming up to me, cutie."
Giulia makes a face. "Don’t hold your breath. Or, actually—do. Suffocation would be a much easier cleanup for Russo enforcers than a bloody street fight."
I laugh because she's not wrong. Cleaning up after a fight without drawing too much attention from law enforcement can be a pain in the ass, and she evidently knows it.
"I have a proposal for you," I begin.
"Unless this proposal is one hundred percent about our assignment as representatives of the Five Families, I'm not interested. If it has anything to do with our last meeting, you can piss off."
I bite back a smile. She's so sassy underneath the detached mask that she puts on. "As a matter of fact, it has to do with both, the assignment included—by the way, are you going to drink that coffee?"
