Page 29 of King of the Bronx

Chapter Eleven

Raven

The sunlight streaming through the curtains shone on my face. I cracked open one eye, expecting Enzo to be next to me. But, just like the day before, the bed was empty. That man didn’t sit still for long. I sat up in bed, clutching the covers close to my body. I was still completely naked, and my thighs were coated with the stickiness from our mixed arousal from last night. My phone on the bedside table lit up with a text message. I grabbed it to see that there were several, all from Erica. Shit, I’d told her I was going to come back last night. She was probably having a mini heart attack thinking something happened to me. I sent her a quick text letting her know I was safe before looking around the room. My clothes were laying on the bedroom floor where I’d left them last night. I took a moment to listen, to see if there was any movement on the other side of the door. Once satisfied, I climbed out of the bed, leaving the covers behind to get in the shower. His en suite bathroom was just as big and luxurious as the rest of the apartment. The shower and bathtub were separate. I imagined myself soaking in the big tub until my skin was pruney. It was doubtful that Enzo got much use out of the bathtub anyways. Shaking my head, I turned to the shower. His body wash sat on one of the shelves. The smell of citrus and leather filled the shower as I rubbed it over my skin. Once finished, I wrapped a big brown towel around my body and walked out of the bedroom. At the same time, the front door opened and Enzo walked inside with Bello. He was already fully dressed in a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt that outlined his tight biceps. His short hair curled at the top like usual, and his sharp jawline looked more prominent, like he’d just shaved. He cocked an eyebrow at me before grinning.

“I used your shower. I hope that’s alright,” I said, clutching the towel a little closer to me.

“You can do whatever you want, baby,” he said, before unhooking Bello and hanging his leash back up. The dog immediately ran over to me. I prepared myself for him to jump on me, but instead, he stuck his tongue out and licked a droplet of water running off my leg. I laughed and bent down to pet the big love bug. Enzo grabbed a bag of dog food from a cabinet and poured it into the large dog bowl. Bello walked away from me and went to eat. I followed the dog into the kitchen area and opened the fridge. There wasn’t much inside, but I grabbed a cartoon of eggs and some veggies and set them on the counter.

“Are you going somewhere?” I asked Enzo, realizing I’d assumed I could stay for breakfast. Maybe I was being presumptuous. More than most people, I knew that sex didn’t have to go further than the bedroom. But, from the way he’d come charging after me when I left last time, I thought it was better to stay at least for a little while.

He shook his head. “Not anymore.”

He grabbed me around the waist and pulled me against his body. My skin instantly started to heat up from our close contact. He smelled just like the body wash I used this morning.

“Are you cooking for me?” he asked, his voice tickling my ear as he spoke into it. How could I already be so turned on when we just had sex?

I raised an eyebrow in fake surprise. “Oh, did you want some?”

He slapped my ass, then released me to sit on the wooden stool at the butcher-block top island. I could feel his eyes on me as I heated up the pan and whisked the eggs together in a bowl.

“Who taught you to cook?” he asked.

“No one. I’m not great at it, but I can make scrambled eggs and toast.”

“That’s more than I can do,” he admitted. That wasn’t surprising. Most New Yorkers relied heavily on take-out. I’d only learned how to cook out of necessity. When money was tight, it was a lot cheaper to cook at home.

I finished breakfast and plated the food. Enzo’s phone vibrated against the counter as I set the plate down in front of him.

“Do you need to get that?” I asked when he didn’t immediately pick it up.

“I’m busy. Whatever it is, it can wait.”

I couldn’t help but be a little shocked. I’m sure Enzo dealt with a lot of issues that could be life or death and ignoring his phone was probably something he didn’t do often. I sat down across from him and started to eat.

We ate in comfortable silence as Bello laid at my feet, probably hoping for a piece of food to be dropped on the ground. A knock sounded at the door. Enzo didn’t look surprised. He got up from the stool and disappeared to answer the door.

“Boss,” a deep voice said. Boss? How far up was Enzo on the food chain? He said he owned the Bronx, but I assumed he was just being cocky. I heard hands slapping together before I got up to take my plate to the sink. Enzo cleared his throat. I turned to see him standing beside a huge man. He towered over Enzo, both in height and muscle, which was saying a lot since Enzo was a big man himself.

“Raven, this is Cole. Cole, Raven.”

I tightened the towel around my body. Damn, I should have put some clothes on.

“Hello,” I greeted.

Cole nodded at me.

“I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere,” Enzo commanded.

His demeanor changed from the person I’d been eating breakfast with a moment ago to something much…darker. This was the facade he must put on in front of other men. Men that couldn’t see him as weak. I nodded, and they walked down the hall to what must have been a back room. Not sure what else to do. I washed the few dishes I’d used and went back to Enzo’s bedroom to put on my clothes from last night. As I slid them over my body, I heard the men talking. They must have been in the room next door.

“The firefighter confirmed arson, so we are good to go forward with the hit,” Enzo said.

“I will need to track him for a few days to find out his routine before I can take him out.” They were talking about killing someone. I shouldn’t have been surprised. I knew what Enzo did for a living, but it didn’t match the man that had taken me out for dinner last night. He was like two different people living in the same body.

“That’s fine. I’m not in a big hurry.”

The sound of glass clinked as if he was pouring a drink, even though it was still early in the day.

“So who’s the girl?” Cole asked. I held my breath, waiting for Enzo’s response.

“Just a one-night thing.”

My heart sank at his words, and I couldn’t figure out why. I figured Enzo was probably a guy who took a new girl home every night. Why was I feeling such disappointment? I buttoned my pants and pulled on my shirt. I slung my purse over my shoulder and walked out of the apartment.

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