Page 23 of Betraying the Mafia Boss

“I did.”

She opens her mouth like she’s about to say something but closes it almost immediately. “About the other night in the storage room, I just wanted you to know it was a mistake we both made and I’m not going to hold it against you.”

I bite back a smile. “A mistake?”

She lifts her shoulders. “Well, wasn’t it a mistake? You don’t like me, I don’t like you. We just got stuck and then that happened, right?”

“Wrong.” She stiffens at my answer. “It was never a mistake to me, Bella. I don’t hate you.”

Isabella tilts her head. “Do you like me, then?”

“Maybe.” I like her enough I’m still interested in her after a night in a cold storage room, and I like her enough that seeing her sad stirs something inside me I’ve never felt before.

She snorts. “You and your vague answers.”

I’m awestruck when a soft breeze caresses her hair, flapping the tip of her ponytail against her face. She looks like a work of art, literal perfection. I want to frame her and look at her forever.

“Do you have plans for tonight?” I hear myself ask. Asking a woman on a date is on my list of things-not-to-do before I die, but even now I’m aware of it, I can’t stop myself.

Her brow quirks, her lips forming a lopsided smile. “What are you going to do if I don’t have plans for tonight? Ask me out on a date?”

I close the half inch between us, looking at her. “I plan to do just that.”

I swear I hear her breath hitch, then she stiffens as the air crackles between us. “What if I have plans? Will you take no for an answer?”

“No.” That word simply doesn’t exist in my dictionary, and she’s the last person I want to hear it from. “You’ll have to fit me into your schedule somehow.”

She smiles, flashing a beautiful set of white teeth at me. “Let me warn you then, I make expensive choices.”

“Good thing I have money to spend.” I wink at her. “I’ll pick you up at seven.”

Her eyes narrow. “But you don’t know where I—”

“There’s nothing about you I can’t find out if I want to.” I angle over and plant a kiss on her forehead. She goes rigid beneath me, her pupils dilating.

A smile plays on my lips as I walk away, feeling her gaze burn my back. Once I reach the elevator, I call Luca’s number.

“Find Isabella’s grandmother.”

Chapter Eight

Isabella

“You’re really going on a date with him?” Naomi asks, excitement in her voice. One thing about Naomi, she’s always more excited for me than I’ve ever been for myself.

My life’s been a thread of one tragedy to another. There are times when I feel happiness is unattainable for me, and just when I try to be happy, there’ll always be something for someone waiting to snatch it from me.

Like right now, I know this thing with Vincent is a façade and nothing more. I can’t allow myself slip down the stairs of hope, not when Elio’s lurking in a corner and my Nana’s life is at stake.

Vincent will hate me when he finds out, and Elio might kill me if I make any mistakes. Still, I’m happy there’s someone in my corner, rooting and hoping for me.

I rummage through my closet looking for a dress that’s suitable for a date. Since I haven’t dated anyone or had any interest in dating anyone for some time now, my closet is filled with casual wear and scrubs, I can’t seem to find anything flattering and it’s almost seven p.m. goddammit!

“Yes, I am,” I snap, almost groaning from the frustration boiling inside me. “Now can you stop asking obvious questions and help me find something to wear.”

Naomi frowns, standing from the bed and folding her arms. “Say please.”

I roll my eyes. “Please.”

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