Page 26 of Mafia Baby

Outside, Dom swears. “Ugh. My driver must have pulled around to the other side of the building. Let me call him.” He pulls out his phone.

“Sorry,” I say to him. I don’t know why I’m apologizing. Maybe I’m saying sorry for getting pregnant. Maybe I’m just sorry I reached out to him.

“What exactly were you thinking tonight, Gianna? You’re the daughter of a rich businessman. Does your father usually allow you to go out and go to bars all by yourself? No friends, no bodyguards, no one to at least report it when you go missing or get murdered?” His voice is raised, and my mind is confused about how to feel.

“My father doesn’t know I’m out,” is all I can say. No one knows where I am tonight. They all went to their own events, so there was no one to question me before I left.

It’s those rare moments of freedom that make me feel like myself again. I have to admit that my family really doesn’t pay that much attention to me, not really. It hurts a little to discover that they probably haven’t really even noticed that I’m back home.

Maybe I should have stayed in the UK.

“Do you understand how dangerous this was? Luckily you chose a bar frequented by retired old men and women, but do you get how badly tonight could have gone?”

Dom is pacing as he types into his phone, running his hands through his dark hair as he looks at me. He’s making plenty of sense, and now I feel bad for making him worry.

He didn’t rush down here to have sex with me in the bathroom. He came because he thought I was in trouble.

But why does he care if I’m in trouble? Surely his friendship with Will doesn’t dictate that he also takes care of me?

“I do.” I walk up to him and stroke his arm again. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t being smart.” He looks down at me, his eyes still angry.

I reach up and stroke his cheek, brushing over the scar. He brings his hand up to mine and holds it still.

“Don’t just tell me what I want to hear.” His voice is low, and it tingles my ears just right. He holds onto my hand, his grip getting tighter as he speaks.

“This isn’t London, Gianna. People here know who you are. They know where you come from. You need to be aware of that.”

“I’m not. Telling you what you want to hear, I mean.” My voice is barely a whisper. “I know. You’re right. I wasn’t thinking about how different things would be once I was back home.”

There’s heat everywhere. His skin is touching mine, and I can hardly breathe near him.

With his eyes glaring down into mine, I reach both of my hands up behind his head, stand on my tiptoes, and bring his head down to meet mine.

For a moment, our lips blend into each other. Dom slips his fingers into my hair, and we both eagerly part our lips.

I can feel my body craving his, even though we’re not close enough. His mouth feels delicious on mine, exploring me as he twists strands of my hair in his fingers.

A small moan escapes my lips, but then a feeling in my stomach makes me freeze. I pull away from Dom, and he reluctantly releases me.

There’s a burning in my stomach, and it’s not the kind that Dom’s cock caused. I take a deep breath, trying to calm the panic rising in my chest.

Dom opens his mouth to speak, but before he can get any words out, the vomit wins the fight, and I bend over, throwing up all over Dom’s shoes.

“Shit. Shit! Shit-shit-shit. I’m sorry, Dominic.” I look up at him, horrified at myself. I look back down at his shoes to see the damage, and I grimace, seeing his perfectly shiny shoes covered in my vomit.

I’ve never been this humiliated before, and I would have given my left kidney for it not to happen with Dom.

“I thought you didn’t drink tonight,” he says to me, staring at his ruined shoes.

I swallow hard, closing my eyes against a new wave of nausea. “I didn’t.” I want to tell him why I’ve just thrown up on his shoes, but I just can’t. I’m so embarrassed that coherent thought is escaping me.

“It’s fine,” he says, his jaw clenched.

I dig into my bag and pull out some tissues, trying to help Dom clean his shoes. “I’ve got it. Just sit there.” He points to a bench, and I obey immediately.

My head in my hands, I wait for his driver to come pick us up, wishing that this was nothing but a dream.

Chapter Eleven

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