Page 32 of Mafia Don's Secret Baby

“Then trust that I will do this for you and Silas. For Alessio. It would be easier if you took your blood right. If you could unite the Genoveses against the Russians, and they wouldn’t stand a chance. Not against my men and yours. But it’s not essential. We have other options.”

The next breath she took was shaky as her shoulders dropped forward and she nodded. “I’m sure it sounds so stupid to you—”

“Nothing you say could possibly sound stupid.” She sucked in a sharp breath as I leaned in closer. Her next breath fanned across my lips. “Losing your family is difficult. I understand.”

I did to an extent. I’d lost my father as suddenly as she’d lost hers. But I’d had the courtesy of burying mine. I’d prepared my whole life to take his position as Don.

I wasn’t blindsided the way Lilianna had been.

She leaned her forehead into mine and blew out a long breath, pursing her lips. “I didn’t expect you to be sweet,” she admitted.

“I’m not sweet.”

“Not to the outside world, you’re not,” she said, meeting my eyes. “But you’ve always been different with me.”

She deserved it. I’d never felt this way about another person. It had only ever been her.

“Can I kiss you, Lili?”

She surprised me as she closed the distance between us. The kiss was gentle, yet passionate. I felt her control slip and her body loosen. I slid her from the chair and onto my knee. Both arms wrapped around my neck as she deepened the kiss, tongue sweeping across mine greedily. The scent of vanilla and lavender tickled my nose, and I wound a hand around the back of her head. My fingers twisted in her hair as I tugged her head back and moved my lips to her throat. The smell was thicker there, and I inhaled deeply.

Fuck, the smell of her alone sent me into a state of uncontrolled need.

And the way she ground her body into my leg, moaning lightly from my mere touch…

I didn’t hesitate before lifting her from my lap and spreading her body on the floor, resting her head on the rug gently. Her parted lips waited for me to return as I hovered over her, taking in the slight curves of her hips and waist.

Perfect.

She was the only woman who had ever been perfect in my eyes, and three years hadn’t changed that.

The door to my home office banged open, and I turned to it, reaching for the gun at my hip on instinct. I’d become accustomed to working from my official office in a building downtown. The office there catered to my more dangerous clients, but still, the loud noise jarred me enough that I nearly withdrew my firearm before turning fully.

Callum stood there, looking between me and his mother as Sophie stormed up behind him, cheeks flushed.

“Sorry for the interruption,” she said with a smile as she leaned into the doorway. “He was not taking no for an answer.”

Callum ran inside. Though the kid moved as fast as he could, both feet never left the ground at once, making it more of a quick walk than a run. He flung himself at Lilianna, and she sat up and caught him easily. The sorrow in her eyes quickly faded as she looked at him.

“Did you miss me, baby?” she asked.

“Mommy, fall?” he said, gesturing to where she lay on the floor.

I chuckled under my breath as Lilianna backtracked and distracted him from the question. He said something else that I couldn’t entirely understand, and I waited.

Lilianna smiled, some of the sadness returning to her eyes. “Yeah, we’ll see Auntie Tris again soon,” she said, kissing Callum’s cheeks and meeting my eyes. “He misses my Aunt Beatrice. She kept him a lot while I worked in Italy.”

I could see how much they both missed being in Italy, and there wasn’t much I could do to assuage that sadness and homesickness. I wouldn’t dare to contact the people and invite them here—not with the Russians on our tail. I wouldn’t let Lilianna lose someone else she loved, but there was one thing I could do. Something minor, but still something.

“I’m taking you both somewhere,” I told her. Lilianna looked confused as I nodded to myself. “Get yourselves ready and be ready to leave in an hour.”

***

Callum looked around in awe at the cathedral-style ceiling of one of the finest restaurants in New York City. Ordinarily, the reservation list was months long, but I knew the chef, and he owed me a favor.

The hostess greeted me by name as we walked inside, and she guided us to a table with a view that overlooked the city.

“An Italian restaurant?” Lilianna asked as she lifted Callum into his seat.

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