Page 17 of A Virgin for the Mafia Daddy

Is it just me or does the server look surprised by my choice? “Ah, a traditional Italian delicacy. Good choice. And for you, Sir?”

I look over at Cain who’s staring at me with an amused smirk. “I’ll do the gnocchi as well as the chicken parmesan, please.”

“Very good, Sir.” The server collects our menus and scurries off.

“I never knew you were such an adventurous eater,” Cain says, a teasing tone to his voice.

What the heck did I order? Does rigatoni mean something different in Italian? “I… can be,” I say, not wanting to admit how clueless I am just yet. Casually, I bring the prosecco to my lips, trying to sip nonchalantly while glancing around at the other diners sitting around us to see if any of them have something that might look like rigatoni on their plates.

“Good,” he says. “I hope you enjoy the small intestine. It truly is a delicacy in Italy.”

The prosecco nearly flies out of my mouth and I just barely stop myself from doing a spit take. “What? You let me order that?”

“I thought you were an adventurous eater?” he teases me, blinking with faux innocence.

“Not that adventurous! What is it about rich people, anyway? It’s like the richer you are, the grosser the food. Liver. Brains. Intestines. Fish eggs. Blech!”

Cain hides his smile behind the lip of his glass, but I am not having it. I search around his us, looking for our sever. “I’m serious! Get the server back here. No way am I eating small intestine on my first ever date.”

Cain winks at me. “Relax, that’s why I ordered two entrees. You can have either my gnocchi or the chicken parmesan. Whichever you prefer.”

“You must really love me to share your food.”

He grows serious, his fingers drifting up and down the stem of his wine glass. “I do.”

Cain's confession catches me off guard. We've only just met, yet his words feel sincere. His dark eyes gaze into mine as if peering into my soul.

“But before we get into all that, I need to know something.”

I gulp, unnerved by this sudden shift. What could he possibly need to know from me? Am I not posh enough for him? Not worldly? Bring me that intestine… I’ll eat the hell out of it if it’ll prove I’m classy enough to be with Cain.

“Your stepfather,” he starts, his tone growing darker by the second. “I need to know if he’s ever touched you. Ever hurt you.”

A little gasp chokes at the back of my throat and I shake my head vehemently. “No,” I say. “I’ve been… lucky. He tried. Once. But my sister and I started setting up these booby traps in our bedroom after my mom’s second third husband. He used to come into the bathroom and peek at us while we were showering.”

It’s one of the reasons we never complained about sharing a bedroom, even when we moved into Charlie’s much bigger house with him and my mom. We liked the security of having each other sleeping nearby. And it was unnerving how ready and excited Charlie was at the idea of Mom’s two adult daughters moving in with them.

I ignore the uneasy feeling that crawls down my spine like an army of ants and push the thought farther away.

A snarl escapes Cain’s clenched teeth. “One thing at a time. What happened with Charles Montgomery?”

“He tried to come into our room one night, several months ago, but when he opened our door, it released the trigger on a paint gun which open fired on him. He was pissed, but he never tried anything again.”

Until last night, at least.

He must have seen me sneak out of the house last night and followed me to the club. It’s way too big a coincidence, otherwise. If he’d won the auction last night, he could have done whatever he’d wanted with me. The thought makes a shiver run through my body.

“It’s already been harder and harder at home with Olivia gone so much. And she’s going to be leaving for college soon.” I gulp, the fear of being in that house alone with just him and my mom is too much.

“That’s not your home,” Cain growls.

I blink, looking up at him. “What?”

“That sorry excuse for a man… and that place are not your home anymore. I am your home.” He pauses, both his expression and his voice softening at once.

“Do you mean that?”

He nods. “If you’ll have me. I knew I wanted to keep you from the moment I saw you," he says softly. "Being with you just feels right, like our lives were always meant to intertwine."

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