“Powerful family,” Papa replied. “Why do you want to know?”
“Just curious,” I lied.
Papa eyed me. It was only a few days past the anniversary of Mom’s death, and he seemed mostly sober, but I could still smell alcohol on his breath. “This have anything to do with that boy who kept sniffin’ around here and takin’ you to work? The one with the expensive car and nice suits?”
“He was just a coworker, but he’s not at Antonio’s anymore.”
Papa scratched his chin. “That’s too bad. A boy connected to the Mariani family could do a lot of good for you. You’d be well taken care of, luce dei miei occhi.”
Papa had worked his entire life and still couldn’t pay for the medical procedures that might have kept his wife alive, so I could understand why he wanted me to find a man who could take care of me. Blinded by all his shortcomings, he’d missed the most beautiful truth about himself. I was sixteen and kneeling beside Mom’s bed as she gripped my hand and told me how lucky she was.
“Lucky? How can you say that?” I asked. She could barely even sit up and the doctor said it wouldn’t be long until she went to sleep and never woke up again.
“So many people go through life without feeling what your Papa and I feel for each other. I would trade a thousand years of not knowing him for the seventeen happy years we shared in a heartbeat. My hope is that someday you will know a love as strong as ours.”
Dominico couldn’t even call me back, so I doubted he’d ever be capable of fulfilling Mom’s hope for me, regardless of how much money his family had. “I can take care of myself.”
“Of course you can,” he replied, but there didn’t seem to be much confidence behind his words.
“What do you mean by powerful family?” I asked, trying to regain control of the conversation. As an Italian, I’d been accused of being part of the mafia on more than one occasion. The stereotype angered me, but it was also somewhat true since my mom’s side of the family had mob ties on the east coast. Truth be told, most Italians did have some sort of mob connection in their family. “Are they mafia?”
Papa shrugged. “That’s none of my business, so I would not ask. As far as I know, they’re businessmen who’ve had some successful investments.”
Sounded like mobsters to me. Great.
Determined to put Dominico out of my mind, I poured all my time and energy into my job. With the dinner over, Collin had time to train me for the position I’d been hired to do. He encouraged me to break out the rest of my mom’s old recipes, and we started rotating them through as daily specials. We received so much positive feedback Collin gave me my first raise before my probation was even up.
A little over three weeks had passed since my date with Dominico, and I’d had an especially long day at work and was looking forward to taking a shower and crashing. As I walked into the house, the phone rang.
Papa answered, then held out the phone, and said, “It’s for you. Says his name is Dom.”
Three weeks. Three freaking weeks had passed and he hadn’t even had the decency to call me? “Tell him I’m not here,” I said.
“I’m sure he can hear you,” Papa replied, looking pointedly at the cordless phone in the air between us.
Since Papa clearly wasn’t going to lie for me, I grabbed the phone from him and stormed into my room. If I had to talk to the ass, I planned to give him a piece of my mind. Without even saying hello, I put the receiver to my face and asked, “Why are you calling?”
He let out a long, drawn-out sigh. “Because I’m a dumbass.”
If he thought I was going to argue, he had another think coming. “Is that why you’re calling now, or why you waited so long to call?” I asked.
“Hmm. The jury’s still out on that one.”
“Maybe you should call me when you decide. I’m guessing it’ll take about three more weeks. Good-bye, Dom.”
I pulled the phone away and went to hit the end call button, but he yelled at me to wait.
Annoyed, I asked, “Why?”
“Because I want to apologize. I’m sorry I haven’t called.”
I had no response.
“I get that you’re pissed. You should be. I just…I shouldn’t even be calling you right now.” He sounded worn and frustrated.
“Then why are you?” I asked.
“Because I’m weak and selfish, and even though I know I should, I don’t want to let you walk out of my life.”
His honesty and raw emotion rocked my resolve, making me admit to myself how much I’d missed him as well. Money didn’t always mean an easy life, and Domincio sounded like he’d gone through the wringer. Still, I needed to protect my heart, so I didn’t know what to say.
“Please talk to me,” he said. “It’s been a rough past couple of weeks and I needed to hear your voice.”
That did me in. “What do you want me to say?” I relented.
“Anything. How are you? How’s work?”
Happy to report good news, I said, “Work is going really well.” I told him about my mother’s recipes and how receptive Collin had been to all my ideas.
“Sounds like you’re really enjoying it.” He sounded genuinely happy for me. “Have you been doing anything besides working?”
“Not really. The anniversary of my mom’s death just passed. It’s always difficult.”
“I’m sorry,” he replied.
“I have been going out for drinks with Brandon occasionally, though.”
“Brandon?” The jealousy in Dominico’s voice was unmistakable. Also misplaced.
“Yeah, funny story. He’s a coworker and has been asking me out after work. I thought he was into me, and I wasn’t feelin’ it, so I sat him down to have the “let’s be friends” talk.” My cheeks burned at the memory.
“What happened?” Dominico asked.
“Turns out he’s gay. He had a crush on the bartender and didn’t want to look too pathetic drinking alone, so he brought me along to be his wingman.”
Dominico laughed, and then sobered and said, “Oh, how I’ve missed you.”
My heartbeat sped up at his confession and tone. I’d forgotten how comfortable and easy it was to talk to him. “I missed you, too,” I admitted.
“I’d love to see you. Can I come pick you up?”
The question surprised me. “Now?”
“Yeah. I have some free time.”
I sniffed my hair, which still smelled like the restaurant. “I need a shower first.”
“Or…you can put on a swimsuit and come hot-tubbing with me.”
I couldn’t believe I was even considering it, but the idea had definite appeal. My muscles were stiff and sore, and I could use a little more time out of the house and away from Papa’s brooding. Besides, I wanted to see Dominico as well.
“Please, Annetta?” he asked. “I could really use a friend right now.”
How could I refuse a plea like that? Hoping I wasn’t making a huge mistake, I said, “Okay.”
“Thanks.” He sounded relieved. “I’m just down the street. I’ll be there in about five minutes.”
Five minutes?
I hung up, stripped out of my work clothes, and ransacked my dresser for my hot-pink bikini. By far the sexiest article of clothing I owned, I’d bought it last summer and had yet to wear it out in public. As I slid it up, I gaped in the mirror at the amount of skin showing and almost took it off, but it looked good. Besides, I’d bet money Dominico wouldn’t be waiting weeks to call again after seeing me in it. Grinning to myself, I pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweater, touched up my hair and makeup, and kissed Papa good-bye.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Annetta
DOMINICO WAS ALREADY heading up the walkway, bouquet of orange Gerber daisies in hand, and I melted a little inside. He wore a suit—like always—but he looked different, more vulnerable, than the last time I’d seen him.
He smiled, handing me the bouquet. “These made me think of you. I hope you like them.�
�
“Thanks, they’re beautiful.” I accepted the flowers. “But you got here awfully fast. Did you buy these before you called me?”
He grimaced. “They were plan B. If you didn’t say yes, I was just going to start bringing you gifts until you changed your mind.”
“Hmm. I should have held out for a pony.”
“You want a pony? I’ll get you a pony.”
That was sweet and kind of cheesy. “No, but thank you. I have no idea where I’d keep a pony. I’ll just go put my flowers in a vase. Do you wanna wait here?”
“Actually, I’d like to meet your father if he’s home.”
I’m sure my eyebrows shot up my forehead, because I was shocked. No guy had ever asked to meet Papa before. “Okay, sure. Follow me.” I made introductions and stepped into the kitchen, leaving the guys to talk. I’m not sure what Dominico said to Papa, but they were both smiling when I reemerged.
Dominico drove me to a nice two-story house in Henderson. We parked and he grabbed a bag out of the trunk.
“Is this where you live?” I asked.
“No. A friend lives here and he’s out of town. I’m keeping an eye on it for him.” He unlocked the front door and let us in. The place was gorgeous and big, and most of my house would have fit in the living room alone. The leather furniture all looked new, and an interior designer had definitely been involved in the decorations.
“Nice place,” I said.
He nodded and carried the bags past the living room into the kitchen. “There’s a great pizzeria not far from here. I’m gonna call for a pie. Do you have any topping requests?”
I shrugged. “I like everything except anchovies. Surprise me?”
“I think I know just the thing,” he said with a smile. “Can I get you a beer or a glass of wine?” He peeked into the refrigerator. “They have Riesling. It’s sweet and fruity like those fru-fru drinks you always get.”
I giggled. “Fru-fru drinks, huh?”
He already had the corkscrew working. He poured me a sip and held it out.
“Your friends aren’t gonna be upset about us drinking up their wine?” I asked.
The look he gave me made me feel ridiculous for even asking such a thing. “No. They won’t care what I touch.”
“All righty, then.” I accepted the glass and took a sip. “This is really good.”
He filled up my glass and grabbed a beer for himself before leading me out to the patio. “I know you have questions, Annetta,” he said, tugging me down beside him on the wicker couch. “And I appreciate that you’re not freaking out on me. I…there’s a lot of stuff I can’t tell you. My job’s pretty top secret and demanding, and sometimes I have to disappear for a while.”
The mob. He worked for the mob. Knowing he’d never say it aloud—there was some sort of pact they made or something—I asked, “Do you work for the FBI or something?”
He grabbed a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, looked at me, and then put them away.
“Thank you,” I said.
“It’s a bad habit and I need to quit. So…FBI. Not exactly. But it’s kinda the same sort of duties. In a way.”
Yep, the mafia.
He took my hand. “I don’t usually date, because it’s impossible to reach me and work often calls me away. I had a great time with you on our last date, but I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want you to expect something I can’t give you. You understand?”
Not really. It felt like he was breaking up with me, but we weren’t even really together. My chest constricted as I stared at his tortured expression, wishing I could do something to help him. Something to help us both. Wanting to dull the pain, I gulped the wine.
“I really like you,” he said, watching me set the empty glass on the wicker table. “When I dropped you off that night after our date…everything went to shit on the job front. Made me realize I can’t…I don’t have the time to be in a relationship. And it’s not fair to you. I tried to leave you alone, but I couldn’t. I can’t stop thinking about you. I…I had to see you.”
I stared at my empty wine glass, wishing it would refill.
He loosened his tie and undid the top button of his shirt. “You’re different, Annetta. I wanna be honest with you, but there’s so much I can’t tell you that I don’t know if we can make anything work between us. I need to lay this shit out and hope it doesn’t scare you off. I wanna be with you, but not if it’s gonna hurt you every time I disappear.”
He started to say more, but I silenced him with a kiss. I got it. He couldn’t promise me tomorrow. Or even the next hour. I didn’t care. I finally understood what my mom had said, and I wanted what he could give me right then. I wanted to live in our happy moment, regardless of how short it would be.
Dominico shifted, pulling me onto his lap and deepening the kiss. Some voice in the back of my mind screamed at me that we were alone and this thing between us had the potential to go further than I’d ever gone with a guy. I should have pulled away, but I couldn’t. I needed him as much as he needed me. In his arms, I wasn’t worried about college bills, or Papa’s depression, or restaurant stress… I was finally free of everything. It felt almost like floating.
We made out until the pizza came. Then we broke apart long enough to talk, laugh, and drink some more. The conversation was easy and flirty, like it had been during our last date, and by the time we stripped and climbed into the hottub, I felt pretty tipsy. Judging by the glassiness of Dominico’s eyes—which kept drifting down to my bikini—he wasn’t faring much better.
“You look…wow,” he said as I settled into the water across from him.
My cheeks heated. “Thanks.”
“I mean it, Net. You have no idea how gorgeous you are.”
Refusing to be embarrassed, I raised my chin. “Maybe I do. Maybe it’s all part of my plot to ensnare…wait. Net?”
He grinned and leaned forward until we were almost nose to nose. “Yep. Definitely ensnaring.”
He’d given me a nickname, and it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. His shirtless body moved closer, drawing my attention. My hands floated up to the surface, curious to feel the muscle of his chest and abs.
“You have a lot of scars,” I said, tracing one that ran down his left pec.
“Yep.”
Too distracted by the hard muscle under my fingers to care much about his lack of elaboration, I licked my lips. Dominico’s eyes dilated. He trapped my hand between our chests and kissed me again. This time his lips were firm and demanding. He tasted like beer and desire, and as I melded my body against his he wrapped an arm around me and pulled me even closer. Pressed hard against him, I knew we were about to reach a point of no return. I hesitated, knowing my first time should be with someone who loved me—someone I could depend on to be there when I needed him, and not someone shrouded in mystery—but I wanted Dominico.
He pulled away from me long enough to look in my eyes and say, “We don’t have to do this.”
I couldn’t form the words to reply, so I kissed his chin, then his neck, letting my hands roam over his body. Dominico pulled me from the hot tub and toweled off every inch of my body before carrying me into the house. He laid a blanket on the floor in front of the fireplace and pressed the button to start the flames. Then he sat me down on the floor in front of him and brushed my hair over my shoulder so he could trail kisses down my back.
“Can I take this off?” he asked, hooking a finger under my bikini strap.
I nodded and he tugged the tie free. His hands and lips paid homage to every inch of my body. I was nervous, but he was gentle. When we made love, it hurt for a moment, and then there was pleasure in the pain.
He held me when we were finished, and I nestled under his arm.
“Stay with me tonight,” he whispered, nuzzling my neck.
I closed my eyes and nodded. He might not be able to promise me tomorrow, but I’d enjoy the heck out of tonight.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Dom
inico
I NEVER MEANT to sleep with Annetta.
Not like I didn’t want to. Her body brought out a desire in me that made me want to rip off her clothes and have my way with her. But I respected the hell out of her, and knew from the beginning she wasn’t the type of girl I’d be able to sleep with and leave.
She was the type of girl who made boys want to grow into men.
She was also a virgin. I hadn’t even considered the possibility of it until she bled when she gave herself to me. I held her that night, wishing I could give her everything. But not even my life belonged to me, so what could I possibly give her?
I thought of my cousin, Gino, who had willingly given up his life to serve the family. Carlo had set him up with a wife and told Gino to get her pregnant so he’d be more appealing to the Durantes.
“He wanted me to look like I have something to lose if I’m not straight with them,” Gino said.
I stared at my second cousin, wondering what to say.
“She’s pregnant with our second kid…another boy. I know I’m not supposed to get attached to them, but they’re innocent in all this, you know?”
I nodded, still unable to form a reply.
“It’s not like I love her or anything,” he hurried to defend himself. “But I do feel responsible. If this goes south, and I… Will you keep an eye on them?”
There was only one answer I could give him. “Yeah, of course.”
He sighed, his shoulders instantly relaxing. “Thank you, Dom. You won’t be able to help them directly, because she can’t ever know who I really am. It’ll put them all in danger. But…whatever you can do.”
I clapped a hand on his shoulder. “I get it, man. I’ll make sure they’re okay.”
“Thanks again. You don’t know what this means to me.”
“You don’t love her?”
I don’t know why I couldn’t get past his confession. Maybe because I’d had such a great time playing detective with Annetta, and couldn’t shake the image of her gorgeous smile. I knew Father was arranging my marriage to Valentina Pelino, and I wanted to believe I could feel at least a smidgen of what I felt with Annetta in an arranged marriage.
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