Page 71 of Casino King

“I would much rather stay in. I can order you food from anywhere you’d like and then I can eat you for dessert.”

“Zip me up,” I insist, and he surprises me by actually doing it. “Just think about how satisfying it’ll be to zip it down later,” I tell him, turning in his grasp.

Running my hand up his chest, I cup his cheek. His day-old scruff scratches my palm and I hold back a moan. He looks sexy. More wildly dangerous than when he’s clean-shaven and showing off every hard plane and angle of his jaw and cheek bones.

“I’ll think of nothing else. You’re too distracting, bella. Even when I’m supposed to be working, all I think about is you. Especially you spread out on my desk so I can have your taste on my lips and tongue the rest of the day.”

Oh, I want that. “You’ll have to tell me where your office in the casino is, then.” I smirk, walking off towards the door. His rumbling approval follows me, and he catches me around the waist, spinning me around and kissing me hard.

“I’ll show you tonight.”

Taking my hand, Alec walks us out, and we take the elevator down to the main floor of the casino where I’m greeted with the vibrant sights and sounds of people trying to change their lives with a little risk and a bet.

Like last time, people turn and stare at us as we walk through the casino. Mainly at me though, since everyone who looks at Alec immediately flits their eyes away like they just got burned. They settle on me instead. I keep my head held high and my eyes straight ahead, refusing to shy away from being by his side.

Alec Carfano is a man who instills fear, and now that I’ve seen firsthand what he’s capable of, I have to come to terms with loving that side of him as well. The side of him that would do anything to protect me.

I’m so far gone at this point that I want his darkness to cover me. It’s comforting to slip into the shadows with him and feel like I belong somewhere for the first time in my life.

We go to his family’s restaurant again, and this time I’m hoping I get to finish my meal without having another panic attack. The hostess greets Alec like the king he is and politely smiles at me when seating us at a reserved table in the back corner that ensures our privacy.

Alec orders a bottle of red wine for us and I greedily take a long sip to relax when it arrives. Being out with him makes my stomach flutter. I like people seeing us together. I like the jealous glares I get from other women who wish they were me. I like showing everyone that he’s mine.

“I want to take you somewhere this weekend,” he tells me, his velvet voice making my insides melt and then twist. I’d go anywhere with him.

“I have classes to teach on Saturday.”

“It’ll be on Sunday.”

“Where do you want to go?”

“I want you to meet my family. We used to have Sunday dinners every week without fail while I was growing up. But five years ago, my father and uncle were killed –Vinny’s dad– which meant my brothers, cousins, and I had more responsibilities to take on and we let our tradition slip away.”

“Oh, Alec, I’m so sorry.”

“Thank you, bella,” he says sincerely, a reflective look in his eyes. “It’s a part of the life we live.”

Stunned, my mind is suddenly filled with the image of Alec lying dead on the sidewalk at my feet with bullet holes in his chest that won’t stop bleeding. I try and help him, but I can’t. There’s nothing I can do, and I watch as he dies in my arms.

Clearing my throat, I look down at my lap and twist my napkin in my fingers.

“That won’t happen to me, Tessa,” he says, and my eyes flit up to his, seeing something in his that makes me want to cry. I can’t imagine this strong man in front of me ever rendered weak by death.

“How do you know?” I whisper.

“Because I’d never leave you,” he says simply, as if it’s a fact I should already know. “My family takes greater precautions now that ensures we all stay alive and well.”

“You better.” I nod, sipping my wine, and the corners of his lips turn up slightly at my concern for him. He has to know I never want to see him harmed.

“Only maybe a few times a year now do we get together – my brothers and sister, mother, cousins, uncles, aunts,” he continues, talking about this weekend. “There’s a lot of us, and this Sunday we’re gathering at my mother’s place on Staten Island.”

“Oh,” I breathe, completely surprised. “So, you want me to meet your entire family?”

“You’ve already met Leo, Vinny, and Katarina.”

“I know, but…”

“If you don’t want to, then we can do something else,” he says with a little edge, and I have to quickly recover.

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