Page 32 of City of Wind and Lies

Our chests rise and fall in unison, and once her breathing evens out, she tilts her face up and presses a chaste kiss to my chin. "Can I shower?"

I roll us over, easing out of her, my elbows indenting the bed around her head. "After last night, you're never leaving my bed." I nip playfully at her erect nipples.

"Ah," she whimpers. "They're really sore."

"Are you sore anywhere else, Bella?" I ask, rolling to my side and propping my head on my hand.

"A little, but it's okay," she says with a yawn, extending her arms above her head.

My phone dings from my discarded slacks on the floor, and as I push myself up to sit, Wren jolts upright.

"Oh my god!" The color drains from her face and panic laces her tone as she rushes from the bed, frantically searching for her dress. "My phone! Drea!"

I get up, gripping her by the shoulders. "Easy, Passerotta, it's okay. I handled it."

Her button nose scrunches up in confusion. "What? How?"

"Your friend was with one of my men on the dance floor, he relayed the message and gathered your things for me."

"Ohh..." she sighs, shoulders relaxing. "Uhm, thanks for that, then."

"Now, how about that shower?" I tip my chin towards the ensuite bathroom.

"Yeah, that sounds-" Her eyes widen, a hand slapping across her mouth as she rushes to the bathroom. Dropping to her knees in front of the toilet, she starts puking, groaning out as her naked body slumps.

"Wren? Are you okay?"

She hums in response. "I don't get it. I only had, like, one drink." She runs a hand through her hair as she cringes. "Ugh, how embarrassing. I'm sorry."

"Don't be, Passerotta." I sink down beside her, stroking her cheek with my knuckles. I take her hands in mine, pulling her up to stand with me. "You take a shower, I'll leave you some things on the counter and get us some breakfast, okay?"

She nods, stepping into the glass shower, and as much as I'd love to join her, I need to check my phone and make sure there weren't any issues with last night's scouting. I pull on a pair of gray sweats and grab Wren a t-shirt, new toothbrush, and towel, leaving them on the countertop.

I fish my phone out my slacks pocket before tossing them into the hamper. Unlocking my phone, I find a text from Rocco asking me to call him. I click his contact, pressing the phone to my ear as I set off for the kitchen.

He answers on the second ring. "Cousin."

"Cousin," I parrot, filling the small pot from the stove with water and turning on the burner.

"We picked up a couple of stray dogs last night. Was going to drop them off at the pound, but thought you might want to see them first." He keeps things vague. With the technical advances since Fracassi's betrayal to la famiglia, my father taught us that most things are better said offline.

"Hmm," I muse. "I wouldn't mind playing with them before you took them away."

"I can take you to them now?"

I pause, drawing in a breath. Rocco is pretty well apprised of my habits, and bringing women home, let alone cooking for them, is not in my normal realm. I don't know what this is- sure, Wren was receptive to the sex last night and this morning- but there's no telling where the two of us will go from here. There’s still more she needs to know about what I’m involved with before we can move forward.

"I'm tending to something this morning. I'll come by when I'm ready."

"Uh, yeah, okay," Rocco replies hesitantly. "That works. Take care, cousin."

Ending the call, I set my phone on the counter and add the oats to the water, turning down the heat. While the oatmeal cooks, I grab Wren’s clutch from the hall, setting it down on the bar.

I'm pretty sure I hear the water in the shower cut off while I'm slicing a banana, and sure enough, as I set the bowls down, Wren timidly steps around the corner.

Cazzo.

She's fresh faced, damp tendrils swept over one shoulder, nipples pressing against the thin fabric of my white t-shirt. Watching the way the hem brushes mid-thigh as she walks into the kitchen makes me raise a fist to my mouth, biting down on it to stifle a groan.

---