Page 103 of Sinful Secrets

She rolls her eyes at him and laughs as she flicks the spinner. “Don’t be a sore loser. Alright. Right foot yellow.”

I take my preferred spot in the middle of the mat and place my foot down firmly on the yellow circle. Spencer, Chase Williams, and Joseph Marino place their feet down and Francesca spins again and again.

These guys are all competitive, even to the point of trash talking. None of them sling insults my way, but I can tell they mean them in a joking way. There is no malice behind their words. Just friendly banter.

Spencer and Joseph team up to take Chase down, but Chase pulls Spencer down with him.

Joseph and I are on opposite sides of the mat with our legs spread as far apart as they will go and both of our hands on yellow.

He doesn’t speak to me. He keeps his focus on the mat and on Francesca. It’s a little unnerving knowing who his father is.

Does he not like me? Does he know about the cop and the FBI agent? Is that why he’s not speaking to me?

I debate losing on purpose. Maybe he will like me a little more than he appears to like me now, but Francesca cheers me on.

On the next spin, Joseph falls and I win. I can’t prove that Francesca cheated to help me win, but the way Rhett and Spencer are looking at her makes me question the validity of my win.

Chase grabs a bowl of chips. “That’s not fair. She’s so tiny. Her small frame helped her win.”

I roll my eyes. “Actually, I credit it to being flexible from years of ballet. I thought hockey players were pretty flexible, but I guess not.”

He pops a chip into his mouth and says, “I can win at air hockey.”

“We can’t play because it’s not put together.” I point to all the pieces scattered around.

Chase sets his bowl of chips down on the coffee table. “We can change that, can’t we, guys?”

The guys nod and grab the instruction booklet. Spencer glances my way. “Just give us fifteen minutes and we will school you two in the mastery of air hockey.”

I join Francesca on the couch.

She gives me a smile. “I know this might sound strange, but I feel like I already know you.”

“Same here. Spencer has told me a lot about you and your family.”

She raises an eyebrow before glancing at the men. “Oh, he did?”

“It wasn’t anything bad.” I immediately say, as my heart pounds in my chest. I don’t want her getting the wrong idea.

She turns toward me and smiles. “There has been a lot going on since I’ve moved back, but I have to admit, it’s nice to have another woman around. Sometimes all the testosterone can become overwhelming.”

“I think they are just overwhelming to be around.”

Our gazes wander over to the men. They are already staring back at us. Rhett’s gaze is dark, hungry, and intense. So is Spencers.

I whisper, “Are they always like that?”

She breaks Rhett’s gaze and looks at me. “Rhett wasn’t always like that, but I love how protective he is.”

“You mean intense? Scary? Overwhelming? Deadly?”

She leans her head back and laughs. “Trust me, you’ll get used to it. Our world is dangerous, dark, and shady. The guys have to be on guard all the time.”

I let out a long sigh and let my gaze fall to my lap. “You must think I’m a wimp.”

“Not at all. I grew up in this life, and sometimes it can get pretty twisted. You haven’t known about the mafia for very long. It’s new and scary, and we are like a big, dysfunctional family, but we always look out for one another.”

I glance at her, surprised to see her staring back. “Is that why Spencer is closed off and angry sometimes?”

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