Page 16 of Ruthless Mafia Heir

"Nothing," he assures me. "That word... just brings to mind certain things for me, that’s all."

"Like what?"

"Oh, I don’t think it’s right for me to bring that up when you’re at work."

Damn it! I hate how easily he can get under my skin. Is this his way of throwing me off my game? Much as I hate to admit it, it’s working.

"I’ll get you that wine, Blake."

I stalk off, making a point not to call him sir again, not if he’s going to turn it into something else. When I reach the kitchen, it takes me a moment to remember exactly where we keep the wine. I’m so flustered by the way he’s just been talking to me.

I can’t believe how easy it's been for him to get under my skin.

I bring Blake the wine, and much to my relief, Patricio has joined him, so I’m not dealing with him alone. He glances up at me as I plant the wine down in front of him, and I slide my gaze away from his. Looking at him feels dangerous. Just locking eyes with him is enough to send me into a tailspin I can hardly wrap my head around.

I manage to make it through the rest of the shift in one piece, and I’m glad when it’s finally all over. As I start to leave, one of the guys from my history class, Tommy, notices me and offers me a lift home.

"Are you sure?" I reply hesitantly. Tommy seems like a nice guy, but I don’t want to impose on him, especially not when I’ve found my instincts to be so off lately.

"It’s fine," he replies with a smile. "I’m going to visit my girlfriend, anyway. I’d be heading back to campus one way or another."

I relax slightly. He wouldn’t have brought up his girlfriend if he had any kind of intentions toward me, right?

"Sure," I agree, and I slip into the back seat of his car. And as I sit there, I spot Blake stepping out of the restaurant.

He eyes me in the back of the car, his jaw stiffening. I lift a hand to wave at him. Let him think whatever he wants about me being alone in a car with a guy he doesn’t know. I can tell it’s driving him crazy, just seeing me like this, but that’s not my problem.

And maybe, for some reason, there’s a part of me that wants to make him jealous.

I chat with Tommy as we head back toward campus, but at the back of my mind, all I can think about is Blake, the way he looked at me, what he might be thinking now that he’s seen me with another man, even if I know nothing is actually happening between us.

"Thanks for the ride," I tell Tommy as he drops me off outside my dorm building. He lifts his hand to wave me off, and I duck inside, my head still full of Blake.

I’ve never been the kind of girl to play games before, never in my life. Not that I’ve exactly had a whole lot in the way of romantic experience, but I’ve never wanted someone to be jealous of me before, never wanted to be sure that I’m running through a guy’s mind.

I flop down in bed, face down, and let out a groan into the pillow. He’s... different, unlike anyone I’ve met before. And I know that I’m walking a fine line. If I overstep it... I don’t know what will be waiting for me on the other side.

He’s dangerous, the kind of dangerous I don’t know if I can handle. And instead of being put off by that...

I’m intrigued.

I need to wash up and do some studying before I go to sleep. It's been hard enough staying on top of my work as it is, and I can’t let Blake throw me off my game.

Even if all I want is to lie in bed and think about him right now.

Chapter Ten—Blake

I cast my eyes around the room. I know she’ll be here somewhere. I made sure of that.

The room is crowded with people, most of them hanging around the large blackjack tables that have been brought in for this particular university fundraiser. It’s an annual event, a get-together where the benefactors of the university mingle with the students and see all the good their money is doing. Well, that’s it on paper, anyway. In reality, it’s just an excuse for everyone to drink free champagne and forget about their troubles in a fancy outfit while they gamble their money away.

Which is what I should be doing right now. In my tux and with a glass of wine in one hand, I would normally be at one of the tables, flirting with some well-to-do older woman just to see her blush, picking out the girl I’m going to go home with tonight. But this evening, there’s only one girl I’m interested in, and I’m waiting for her to show her face.

I head to the door, where the host is scanning the guest list once more.

"Has Sophia arrived?" I ask him. He peers down at the laminated page in his hand, then shakes his head.

"Not yet," he replies. "This is her first event, is it not?”

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