Page 37 of The Wages of Sin

I’d never told that story to anyone before. Not even Gabriel and Matteo. It was too personal, too close to my heart—a place I didn’t let anyone near.

But for some reason, sharing it with Kiera felt right.

And it must have been the right choice because she seemed a lot less nervous and anxious when she turned around and asked, “Are you sure you’re okay with me staying in here with you? I know we’ve…been intimate, but I don’t want to make any assumptions and invade your privacy.”

“I want you with me.” There was no other answer.

Her cheeks began to flush with color. “Well, thank you for letting me stay here while things cool down. If I can ever pay you back, I promise I will.”

“You don’t owe me anything,” I told her. “That’s not what this is.”

I could tell by the way she bit her lower lip that she had more questions to ask, but she held her tongue. Instead, after an awkward second, she glanced over her shoulder toward the bathroom.

“Is it okay if I use your shower?”

“Of course,” I said, taking a step back. “Toss me your clothes when you take them off, and I’ll throw them in the washer.”

“Thank you.”

She moved past me toward the bathroom, looking back to shoot me a smile before disappearing inside. A minute later, the door opened just a crack, and a small pile of clothes slid out. After a few seconds, I heard the water turn on.

I did my best not to imagine what was happening on the other side of the door—how her naked body was stepping beneath a downpour of warm water—but there was no stopping the images from filling my mind. All I could see was the steam caressing her bare skin, her leaning back to let the water soak her hair, the little rivulets streaming over the curves of her breasts, down to her waist, and over her hips.

My cock instantly stirred.

But thoughts like that would have to wait. I needed to take care of some business first.

First I called Jane and had her fire Rose for taking daring to talk shit about Kiera.

Then I dialed Gabriel. Just like Matteo, he never left me waiting long for him to answer and picked up right away.

“Talk to me, brother.”

“What have you heard about Carlo Costa recently?”

“Mario’s shitbag cousin?” Mario being the current boss of the Costa family. “Nothing—wait, that’s not totally true. Now that I think about it, I heard some rumblings he’s been acting weird the last week. Gimme a second—“ There was a rustle on the other end as Gabriel pulled the phone away from his mouth. “Hey, Tony! Come here,” he shouted.

A few seconds later, another voice came over the line. “What is it, boss?”

“Didn’t I overhear you talking to Luca about Carlo Costa yesterday?”

“Yeah. People are saying some chick kicked his ass, and he didn’t take it so well,” the guy laughed. “Apparently, he’s sent his men out on the streets to find her. Meanwhile, he’s been licking his wounds by nailing girls in the strip clubs.”

“You know which clubs?” Gabriel asked.

“Not off the top of my head,” Tony said. “But I can ask around if you want, boss.”

“Thanks, Tony. Let me know what you find.” There was a slight pause before Gabriel spoke again. “You get all that, Dorian?”

“Every word,” I said. “You’ll let me know what you find out?”

“Of course,” Gabriel said before adding. “You going to tell me what this is about.”

Only what I had to. Right now, protecting Kiera was my main concern, not just physically but her privacy as well.

“He messed with something that belongs to me.”

Gabriel drew in a sharp breath. “That was stupid of him.”

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