Page 56 of Drowned in Gold

As soon as I shut the door, he leans in slow.

A well of emotion fills from my toes all the way up to my chest.

My instinct is to pull away, because this thing – is over. But I don’t. I just sit there, drowning, not giving an inch, not taking an inch. He’s happy with that decision, apparently, because his smile just grew. As he inhales my scent, I start to think I’m being tested by a rabid animal… and I like it.

Instead of moving in for a kiss, he grabs my hand and backs away, kissing only my knuckle in the most respectful way.

He’s horny, I can see it in his now lustful baby blues. Yet he’s holding himself back, and I catch myself thinking – for me.

“It’s all wrong, Gia.” He starts the car and whips a U-turn away from my job before I can protest. “I never should’ve done that to you. But at the same time… I don’t regret it.” He glances at me. “Because now you know.”

My lips twist to one side. I’m not sure how I feel about that. “Where are we going, Castor?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“I kind of have a job to do.”

“Your shift is about done, and you asked that nice woman to cover for you. I think you’ll be fine.” He smirks.

I fold my arms.

At a red light he turns to fully face me, eyeing me like I’m the only woman in the world.

“So what’s this big important thing that I had to come out for?” I ask.

“Tomorrow is a big job, Gia. It could get ugly. And I couldn’t go on without seeing you.”

My heart melts into a puddle in my chest. I cross my legs to the other side to stop from fidgeting. Now I’m freakin’ worried about him. “Then don’t do it.”

“I have to,” he says.

“Why?”

“Because there are other people who depend on me. If we do this right, their families will be taken care of for a generation to come.”

I scratch at my arm. “What if your family needs you to keep breathing? I know you’re not close with any of them since you took up mob ties, but what about me?”

He’s disarmed almost entirely. The light is green, and he has no idea until I flick my eyes in that direction.

My eyes remain on him as he slowly turns away, speechless. Yeah, let’s say I was to get over the fact that he’s a torturous psycho to anyone who puts a hand on me, then what? Does he really think I’m going to sit back and let him get himself killed?

God, here I go, already giving in.

Looking at how freshly groomed he is, I feel disgusting. Smoothing out the fly-aways in my hair just proves I’m too damn grimy to be sitting here. When I shift my legs to cross the other way, my thighs have a hard time unsticking.

“Sent my brother on an errand?” I ask.

“I figured you wouldn’t want to talk business after… you know.”

“Just want to make sure I won’t be in the middle of another shootout, considering you’re both psychos.”

“Our business has always been dark, Gia. Since the day Marco and I got picked up by John Scar to do some errands. We were kids then, but it’s still the life we chose.” He glances at me, eyes soft as if checking to make sure I’m not going to go into the fetal position again.

“Well, what I don’t want is to be with someone who’s always sitting with a target on his back.”

There’s a long silence between us, until the next red light.

“I meant what I said in that stairwell.”

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