Page 6 of His Mafia Sunshine

Tears prickle hot and sharp behind my eyes, my throat tight with a lifetime of unspoken grief. "Asher," I rasp, my voice cracking on his name. "I don't know if I can be that man. If I even deserve the chance to try."

Asher's hand comes up to cup my cheek, his touch achingly tender. "You do," he whispers, his breath soft against my lips. "You deserve everything, Liam. Let me show you."

And then he's kissing me, his mouth warm and sweet and so fucking perfect I could die from it. I groan, my arms banding around his waist, hauling him closer. He comes easily, his body molding to mine like it was made to be there.

I pour everything into that kiss, all my longing, my desperation, the fragile flicker of hope igniting in my chest. Asher meets me with equal fervor, his fingers tangling in my hair, his tongue sliding hot and slick against mine.

It's a revelation, a benediction, a promise of something I barely dare to name. But before I can lose myself entirely, a harsh, mocking voice shatters the moment like a hammer through glass.

"Well, isn't this cozy."

We jerk apart, Asher's eyes wide and startled, my heart seizing in my chest. Because there, lounging in the kitchen doorway with a sneer on his cruel, handsome face, is Declan.

My brother. My boss. The man who will destroy everything I love, everything I am, if he discovers the traitorous desires of my heart.

"Declan," I say, my voice a ragged croak. "What are you doing here?"

He pushes off the doorframe, his movements lazy and deliberate. "I could ask you the same thing, little brother. I thought you were supposed to be collecting from this pretty piece, not playing tonsil hockey with him."

Asher makes a choked sound, his fingers digging into my arm. I can feel him trembling, fear and defiance warring in his rigid posture.

"It's not what it looks like," I say, the lie ash on my tongue. "I was just-"

"Save it," Declan cuts me off, his voice like a whip crack. "I know exactly what this is. You've gone soft, let this twink get under your skin. It's pathetic."

Rage and terror churn in my gut, my vision pulsing red at the edges. "Leave him out of this, Declan. It's between you and me."

Declan's smile is a cruel, twisted thing. "Oh, I don't think so. You brought this piece of fluff into our business, made him a liability. And you know how I deal with liabilities."

He reaches into his coat, and the glint of metal sends ice flooding my veins. I move before I can think, shoving Asher behind me, my body a shield between him and my brother's wrath.

"Declan, don't," I rasp, my hands raised in a futile gesture of supplication. "Please. I'll do anything you want, just let him go."

Declan's eyes narrow, his head cocking in mock consideration. "Anything, huh? Well, isn't that interesting."

He lowers the gun, but the malice in his gaze only sharpens. "I'll tell you what, Liam. You walk away now, leave this piece of ass in the rearview where he belongs, and I'll let him live. Hell, I'll even let you keep your place in the family, though God knows you don't deserve it."

I can feel Asher's breath hitch against my back, his fingers clutching at my shirt. Every instinct screams at me to turn and pull him into my arms, to shield him from the poison of my world.

But I know, with a sick, sinking certainty, that if I do that, Declan will destroy him. He'll make Asher suffer in ways I can't even imagine, just to teach me a lesson, to punish me for my weakness.

There's only one way to keep him safe. Only one way to protect the fragile, impossible dream kindling in my battered heart.

I have to let him go.

I close my eyes, bile rising sharp and hot in my throat. "Okay," I rasp, the word like broken glass on my tongue. "You win, Declan. I'll walk away."

"Liam, no," Asher whispers, his voice thick with tears. "Please don't do this."

I turn to face him, drinking in the sight of his beautiful, stricken face. Memorizing every line, every curve, every sunlit inch of him.

"I'm sorry," I say, my voice cracking on the words. "But I can't be what you need, sunshine. I can't be the man you deserve."

Asher shakes his head frantically, his hands fisting in my shirt. "That's not true. I know it isn't."

I close my eyes, letting myself savor his touch one last time. "You said I get to choose what I do with my pain," I whisper, my forehead resting against his. "This is me choosing. Choosing to keep you safe, even if it means losing you."

A broken sob escapes him, his tears hot and wet against my skin. "Liam," he chokes out, my name a plea and prayer on his lips.

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