Page 45 of Mafia Mistress

That sickening feeling returned in the pit of my stomach and I reached for my melted mai tai. It was then that movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention, and all the air left my lungs in a rush.

Clad in only small white swim trunks, Fausto walked toward us, the rest of his incredible body on full display for the first time. Muscles roped across a lean frame covered by golden skin, while wide shoulders sat atop a broad chest decorated with the perfect amount of dark hair. His stomach was trim, his legs long. He moved gracefully, confidently, the king of everything around him, the bulge between his legs shifting with every step.

I. Was. Deceased.

It was too much. My heart was pounding like I’d just run a race, and thank God I was already sitting down. As it was, I shifted on my deck chair, feeling a rush of heat all over that had nothing to do with the sun. I swear his gaze dipped to my breasts, and when I glanced down I could see why. My nipples were poking through the thin fabric of my suit. I swallowed and focused on my drink.

“There you are,” Katarzyna cooed at Fausto. “I was just telling Frankie and Giulio how adorable they are.”

He lowered himself to the open deck chair, mouth flat and unforgiving. “Were you?”

Katarzyna grabbed the sun tan lotion off the table and crawled onto his chair. “Let me put some lotion on your back, baby.”

Fausto didn’t argue, merely leaned forward and made room for her behind him. I swore he looked directly at me the entire time Katarzyna slathered his body with slick lotion, her hands rubbing it into his skin like it was a life-saving antidote. Envy crawled its way into my throat. I had to force my eyes elsewhere, or risk saying or doing something really stupid.

“I’m going swimming,” Giulio announced, then stepped to the side of the yacht and dove off into the water.

Nice. We weren’t even married yet and he’d already abandoned me.

Wait, yet? What was I thinking? I would never marry Giulio. I would escape Italy and I would never see the Ravazzanis again.

Closing my eyes, I tilted my face to the sun and tried to block out everything else in my life. I was on a beautiful ship in the most beautiful place in the world. Who knew when the opportunity would arise again once I left Siderno?

“Francesca,” Ravazzani snapped. “When was the last time you put on lotion?”

The first words he spoke to me today were about my suntan? “I’m good,” I said without opening my eyes.

“That was not what I asked.”

I lifted my sunglasses to pin him with an annoyed stare. “Why do you care?”

That apparently wasn’t the right answer because his face darkened as his body went still. Even Katarzyna appeared shocked. “I care,” he said, “because I do not want you sunburned for the wedding.”

Everything inside me longed to scream and throw things at him, but I would lose in any fight with this man—for now. So I dropped my sunglasses back in place and closed my eyes again. “You don’t need to worry about that.”

“Do as I say or—”

He didn’t finish because crew members arrived with our drinks—margaritas for Katarzyna, Giulio, and me, white wine for Ravazzani. I ignored the other couple while Katarzyna chatted on, though I noticed his responses were limited to only one or two words. Why did she put up with him? He couldn’t be that good in bed.

Please. You know he’s a god in bed.

Ugh. I couldn’t start imagining it, not here. Not ever.

Giulio finally returned and shook like a dog, raining water down on me. I yelped, the cold droplets surprising me, and tried to push him away. “You rat!”

Katarzyna chuckled. “See? Cute,” she said and draped her arms over Ravazzani’s shoulders.

I hated watching them together. I had no claim on him—and I definitely hated him for trapping me in Italy—yet I wanted to slap Katarzyna’s hands off his body. How in the hell did that make any sense?

Standing, I pushed Giulio over the side of the boat in retaliation. He hit the water with a splash and came up sputtering. I smirked down at him. “That’s what you get, G.”

He grinned. “Come swim with me again.”

“Fine—but first promise not to pull me under any more.”

“Te lo prometto.”

I sprinted toward the end of the platform and jumped into the water.

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